PRINCESS OF DARKNESS's blog: "TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (WITH A TWIST)"

A FIRE FIGHTER'S LIFE!!! It may take you two minutes to read this, but if you do not take the time to read this you are one of the people this post is talking about. You stay up for 16 hours Hes been up for 48 straight _________________________ You take a warm shower to help you wake up. The rain in the middle of the interstate keeps him awake. __________________________ You complain of a "headache", and call in sick. He's chilled to the bone, hasn't eaten all day, has the flu, and then runs into a burning building __________________________ You drink your coffee on your way to the mall. He pumps on a five years olds chest on the way to the hospital. __________________________ You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket. He makes sure the pass device on his pack is working. __________________________ You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you. He watches his buddy fall through the floor. __________________________ You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls. He walks down the highway looking for the motorcyclists missing limb. _________________________ You complain about how hot it is. He wears fifty pounds of gear in the middle of July and drags a body out of 1600 degree flames. __________________________ You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong. He hasn't seen a meal since last shift ate breakfast. __________________________ Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes. Hes worn the same stinking, wet, grungy clothes for the past 24 hours....no time for a shower. __________________________ You go to the mall and get your hair redone. He holds the hair of some college girl while shes puking in the back of the ambo. __________________________ You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over. His shift ended 2 hours ago and hes on for another 24 hours after being ordered in. __________________________ You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight. He calls his girlfriend to tell her he made it back alive....then leaves abrubtly for another fire. __________________________ You yell and scream at the engine that just past you because they slowed you down. Hes in the back of the engine, going to cut somebody out of their car only to find out that they're dead and their daughter is barely alive. __________________________ You roll your eyes as a baby cries. He cries as he hears his new born cry in the hospital....but he was taking a drunk teenager in when his boy was born. __________________________ You criticize your fire dept and say their never there quick enough anyways. He blows the air horn while the person in front of them refuses to move while talking on their cell phone and doing their makeup. __________________________ You hear the jokes about fallen firefighters and say they should have known better. He feels the floor give way while hes carrying an old lady from her bedroom and tosses her on to the hard floor and falls into the unknown. __________________________ You see the bright lights when you go by and stare. He sees the broken bodies lying around the car and has to pay attention to make sure you don't hit him/her with your car because you are not paying attention to the road. __________________________ You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't. He looks into buying a bullet proof vest because he may get shot trying to save a shooting victims life. __________________________ You stay at home and watch TV. He takes his spare time to wash the wagon, restock the ambo and maybe call his mother to tell her not to worry, he'll be home the next night __________________________ You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable. He tries to sleep on his spring board bed but keeps getting woken up by the gong and bell, ahh, one hour of sleep, it should due till tommorrow night. __________________________ You sit there and judge him, saying the that its a waste of money to have them around. Garbage truck workers make more than he does, but its not for the money, its for the people who don't appreciate what he does. ___________________________ If you support your local firefighters, repost this with a "A fireman's life

IT'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE, IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE. I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE, AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE. I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE, NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE. NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND, ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS. WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS, A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND. FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY, I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY. THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE, CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME. THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER, NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER. WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ? CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED? I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT, OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT. SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY, AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY. THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE. I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE, ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME. THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY. THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE, SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE; I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE, MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS. THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP. I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP. I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL. I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT, THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT. THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE, WHISPERED, CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE. ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT. This poem was written by a Marine. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.... 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. and Canadian 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. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND OUR U.S. AND CANADIAN SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN!! THANK YOU!!