'Twas the Weeks Before Christmas 2009

'Twas the weeks before Christmas in 2009,
All the people were stirring,
in search of a dime;

A dime, a nickel, even a dollar;
'cause it was time to partake in Christmas delights;
Yes, it was time to buy presents,
buy trees and buy lights!

Into the stores and on to the web,
they search frantically for coupons and discounts and mark downs galore;
Where can I spend less?
And get so much more?


The year had not be pleasant you know;
There had been the reduction of jobs and bills piling up;
But December had come, and their heads were held high;
And with eyes all aglow,
Off to the mall they went, still praying for snow;
They must have Christmas;
They must have the Christmas they know.

The department store Santa has lost lots of weight,
The little ones are perplexed by this trait.
I spy him texting and tweeting and hear his phone jingle;
It’s not something we normally see from “the Kringle”


And then I hear him tell a young boy on his knee,
“I’ll get you your toy, yes I will my young lad,
but you must do something for me;
Yes, yes, you must give to your dad my latest CV."


The Santa, you see, had once been a boss,
A Senior VP at Gardner and Ross.
The business had fallen way behind plan,
And now he needed to find new employment;
He must do something to improve his family’s enjoyment.

The year of ’09 has not been plentiful;
Jobs disappeared and the stocks tumbled.
Princes and paupers alike, found themselves dining in candlelight.
No money to pay the energy bills, they found other ways to enjoy and delight.

More time to spend with family and friends,
Getting back to nature and making amends.
Finding repose in the strangest of places.
Why, some even found it on their children's faces.

The meal may be lighter;
The glass less full;
The presents may be less,
But, we will all still gather and bless:

Bless the time we have,
Bless the people we love,
Bless the faith we foster and
The strength we command. ..

And share a very Merry Christmas across the land.

To Labor or not to Labor?

As Craig Ferguson would say, "it's a great day for America."

Yep, tomorrow is Labor Day and most of us don't have to go to work; that's because many of us don't have a job to go to!

I'm told that we've hit the highest unemployment figures in 26 years. I have to admit that I don't remember much of the recession 26 years ago. I was young, working and making lots of money and spending it. I just wasn't paying attention. I was very lucky.

I have been watching this economy for the last ten years and waiting for the shoe to drop. I was in the financial services industry and knew "it was a matter of time." "Knowing" doesn't mean I was prepared for this. When I was in product development I had a boss who would always ask the question, "what is this product going to do when we have another 1929?" After a few years of hearing that I would always respond, "hopefully we'll be retired." How flippant; and naive.

Well I am semi-retired now and not by choice. I need to go back to work in a full time position; but that doesn't seem to be working out for me that way. I believe there has been a reason for me to be "free" of employment these past eighteen months; there have been family illnesses and I have been able to assist. I needed some time to reassess who I am, what I am doing and what I want to do. And, I was very fortunate to be in a financial position that I have been able to "hold it together." That grace period is quickly eroding.

It is fascinating to me that so many people are casting blame on the Obama administration for their current circumstances. Did you really think that he was going to be able to do "magic" and "fix" what ails us in eight months? I would be doing some things differently, but it's so easy for me to say that while I do not have get the consensus of 500+ people in Congress. And, this controversy over Obama speaking to the youth to encourage study and staying in school. . .no, that's a rave for another day.

These are the times that our ingenuity and imagination must see us through. We have to "work" at finding work; prioritize our values and beliefs and move away from the material needs. It is a great day for America - because we have to rely on ourselves, inner and physical strength and "labor" to do the right things in this "not so right times."

Enjoy the weekend with family and friends for on Tuesday we must "labor to labor."