One person's terrible Christmas

I was setting out trash when I saw a man walking late that night. I knew that he lived a couple of streets away. He was remarkable because he had a Great Pyrenees. I asked him how he was, Dec. 27th 2005. He was terrible, a cursory response. I asked if he could tell me.

I don't know where he worked, but he told me the following sad story. Wherever he worked, one night packed up all their things and moved out of the building. When he went to work -- there was no company there. Bad news. He filed for unemployment, but they reported to him that whomever he worked for didn't file ANY taxes, including his, despite his paychecks indicating to the contrary.

Because he was no longer getting paid, his mortgage / rent was missing, and continued to be so. The mortgage company told him they were going to foreclose. The owner mentioned to him that he could stay in the house until they found a new tennet / purchaser. Some time later, they found some one who threw out -- in the trash everything in the house.

So there he is ... no money, no job, no car.

On Christmas 25th ... his dog died.

He remarked to me that he was alive. That's one thing. Things couldn't hardly get worse.

It's nice for me to remember that no matter how cruddy things might seem -- they aren't impssible.

The following is true -- in that is what he told me.