Let's Hopethe New Year is Better! Could it be worse?

Warning!!! Rant in progress!

Hope all had a pleasant Christmas and on behalf of the stafff here, I wish you all a Happy and successful New Year.

Three years ago,I was on top of my mortgage, I had two cars in the driveway and was spending large chunks of disposible income on trips to my local hobby shop. Today we have burned up all of our credit cards, we are at serious risk of foreclosure and the only car in the driveway belongs to my boss at Dominos Pizza. The next time I visit my local hobby shop will in hopes of selling, not buying.

What happened? A number of things. First we had the oil spike. This house is a real pig on oil. We started renovating with siding and had our storm windows removed on hopes of buying new windows later. Later never happened. we burned up all of our credit cards trying to keep up with the heat. Then the mortgage. Slowly we got later and later. Then we missed one payment. A change in ownership of the franchise meant I had to travel more to keep cash flowing in. A problem with one company, meant a new job and a longer commute. After four years of abuse and 203k, the engine blew in my Cavalier. Two weeks later I was down to one part time job and one car. It was a struggle just to keep food and lights. Just after we recieved our foreclosure notice, a former employer offered a job. Just things started going positive for a change, I was rushing to work, looked down and did not see the mini van until it was too late. the wife's car was totalled.

Here I was ready to panic. No car and thus no job. Everything was on the line. I called my boss from the wreck site. After getting the wreck home, I sat here and started praying. A few hour later, I got a call. Not from an angel, although I was ready to put wings on him. It was my boss, someone who I had had many bouts with in the past, and who had taken me back under strict conditions. He told me not to worry and that he would get me a car to drive. It would be something that I could use to take Janet to her doctors and do some other local stuff.

Unfortunately the worst was yet to come. Over the next several weeks, Janet would be hospitalized several times. Once, due to my own ignorance,she nearly died. But for the help of her friend and a breakdown of the car, she might not be here today.

I was a basket case to say the least. Working as many hours as I could, getting to the hospital, taking care of the house and animals, while trying to figure out which bill to pay next. It was at that point some very special people stepped in.

My boss Anthony Patalano and my co workers at Domino's Pizza, cut me a lot of slack at work. Often they would let me visit Janet during working hours, if only for a few minutes. My friends at Sound Off Ct were a great help. They put up with my somewhat off the wall behavior in the chat room and offered support. A member even offered help with the birds. Even the show host, Jim Vicevich offered support and prayers. Last bu not least, I give credit to the God of my understanding and my friends at e-AA.org. Some of you do not know this, but I am a recovering alcoholic and have been sober for some 27 yrs. I firmly believe tha God works through people and when it comes to helping this drunk stay sober, he has enlisted the help of my friends on line.

As I finish this blog, it is a Saturday night in Springfield. The PT Cruiser which is my work car, got towed away with a broken fuel pump. I will have tomorrow off without pay. The car should be back on Monday. We have food in the fridge, oil in the tank and everyone is safe and warm. In the end that is all that really matters. So this is it, the end. Thanks for reading.