raymondloesch.com

I just love when the mighty fall, Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York has been accused of soliciting a high price call girl. Will this be cause for his resignation or will he ride it out and see where the wind blows. This reminds me of how messed up this world can really be, you think someone is straight laced or appears to be straight and narrow but they turn out to be hiding secrets that no one would want to know. You would think that the man has it all together, three beautiful children, a beautiful wife and one of the best jobs available in New York. This is the last thing New York needs now, I was originally from New York and often think back to the great times I had while living there, it truly is one of the greatest cities in the world, and as such deserves more than this Governor.

<

A Moving Tribute Song For Our Armed Services

Whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not you should always support our troops, This song is a great reminder of what our troops deal with on a regular basis. They are the consummate Social Networkers, We all interact and socialize on the web but these folks do it in person spreading the goodwill of America every day.

I just received this great poem in my email from my best friend Steve who served in the United States Navy. Please pass this along to all your friends and family and let’s not forget the men & woman who serve to protect us and our country this holiday season.

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,
Alone 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 fam ily 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.’

PLEASE, Would you do me the kind favor of sending

this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be

coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service

men and women for our being able to celebrate these

festivities. Let’s try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of

what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes,

living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum , Iraq.

Wanted to step out of the ordinary Blog Post to mention this great website on making your own snow. How cool would it be to be the only one in the neighborhood with a snow covered backyard. Your kids would be the hit of the neighborhood. I Stumbled upon this great website about a man that does just that. His name is Rick Nordman (The Southern Snowman), and he has perfected the art of snow making in the South. View the video on his website and click on the Media Tab to see what is possible at your house.