A Different Christmas Poem

 Merry Christmas Friends,

Please take a few moments to read "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 slumbered I, 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 Trooper, 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, "It's really all right,
       I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

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."

May we always remember our Service Men & Women during this Christmas season

~Amy

RE/MAX Monthly Housing Report

Hi Friends,
Every month RE/MAX National puts together a detailed report on what is happening in Real Estate across the country.  I wanted to share this month's report with you - so you can see how the Real Estate market is fairing in the last quarter of 2014.
Take a look at this month's housing report: RE/MAX National Housing Report
Keep in mind, this information is a snapshot review of the real estate marketplace nationwide. So if you're interested in a more detailed look at the Salem-Keizer market, please let me know & I'll be happy to put together some information for you!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions at all!

~Amy