A Different Christmas Poem The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve. My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream. The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow. My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door just to see who was near. Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight. A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old, Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold. Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child. "What are you doing?" I asked without fear, "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!" For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts, To the window that danced with a warm fire's light Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night. It's my duty to stand at the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times." "No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me. My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas Gram always remembers. My dad stood his watch in the jungles of Nam, And now it is my turn and so, here I am. I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile." Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag, The red, white, and blue... an American flag. "I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my house and my home. I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat. I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my sister and brother, Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall." "So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting and I'll be all right." "But isn't there something I can do, at the least, give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast? It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son." Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long. "For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled Is payment enough, and with that we will trust That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Thanks everyone! He went out to dinner last night with someone who is high up in the ranks and been with the company for years and got more information. There are going to be 4-5 more people laid off in a company that has only 24 people total, plus some overseas. So I don't think it was entirely personal or ageism though that may have been a factor. You never know. The company is suffering right now because of the economy, like a lot of others. My husband's position was fairly new and created for what they projected the next year would be, but now they are cutting back on everything so the position became redundant. Or at least that is the official word, which looks good when looking for a new job. He sent out a ton of emails last night to others in the semiconductor business to put out feelers. Yes, he is starting to feel it and I think it is going to hit him emotionally though he won't admit it. He has been working as an engineer in Silicon Valley since 1977 and never been laid off before. He has his Masters in EE so that is all he knows, or feels like he does right now. I think he should think outside the box, but maybe that will come later if nothing comes up in his search. What worries me more then the money is insurance. Our son has a lot of medical problems and is on medication and sees a lot of specialists. I know he can extend his insurance through COBRA, hopefully it won't be too expensive. And he did get one month's severance pay plus can apply for unemployment for the next year. We have always lived pretty simply and cheaply because we have only had one income. We will exam things more closely again and see if we can cut back some more. Maybe I will look into going back to work myself, though that will be quite a change after 25 years of being home. I would do it just for the insurance coverage. I know we will get past this in time, we have survived many bumps in the road for the last 31 years, so I am not too worried. That is one thing you learn later in life, this too will pass. Clare

I hate to say this, but I went out to get some dish organizers from a local home store - been waiting for cutlery to go on sale so we can replace our set that you can bend with your fingers....... Normally $99 - this weekend $49. 18/10 gauge stainless steel 8 x 5 piece sets plus the hostess set. They were waaaaayyyyy up top but the red sticker caught my eye and the overall pattern is a classic so I know both hubby and I can live with it. I'm done now until we go furniture shopping in the spring to replace our Sanford and Son couch and chairs... I can't believe the sales this week. I'm shaking my head in disbelief. It's really been worth waiting for these items. Wow. Happy b'day to me, happy b'day to me!!!!!

I think that you have been hit with a nasty practice done by several hospitals. When you don't have an insurance company standing between you and the hospital, they try to extract the maximum amount of cash. When caught at this game, they reply, "We need to recoup losses we incur for those non-paying patients we that have to accept." Before you pay one cent, investigate what the true charges should he. You can not get the right answer from the hospital staff, because they will only parrot what the operations manual tells them to reply. First contact your insurance agent and ask what are the reasonable charges, and what the hospital agreed to when they acepted your insurance. Most insurance companies have agreements with hospitals about what the insurance will pay and the amount the patient should pay for many standard procedures. My wife and I had a run-in a year ago. Her doctor sent her to a local hospital to get an direct injection (into a vein) of an antibiotic. It was a normal procedure for his clinic, but being Saturday, his staff was out and he sent her to one of the hospitals in which he pactices. We received a bill of $2200!!!. My wife blew her top (she had worked in a hospital for many years) and she called our insurance. Sure enough, it was a bogus bill. When the hospital was confronted with the information, they back pedalled trying to say that, yes, it was not a true bill, but was what their true cost was. Baloney! There was nothing on the bill indicating this was an informational bill and that a true billing would follow. I'm sure that they would have gladly accepted the money if we had written the check. Our cost became $75 after the insurance paid their part. Don't pay anything until the insurance company has paid their part and informed you of your share.