Today, a person of means asked me what my child wanted for Christmas? The question actually perplexed me... As I stood there thinking about how blessed we were and how our lives were not centered around "materialistic" things to large degrees; I felt bad that the idea of "CHRISTMAS GIFTS" was so far from my state of mind and survival that I did not have a clue "EXACTLY" what my child wanted on her list for Christmas...
On the spot, my worries were about something radically different....more about survival needs...not holiday gifts. More about spending quality time with my daughter, dad and nephews for Thanksgiving... At that moment, I felt a bit guilty that to date-I hadn't sat around a table with my kid making WISH LISTS.... but, I took a deep breath thinking about all of the spoils that were given upon another Christmas to my child...and the frustration that resulted from overindulging her with materialistic junk that soon became shelved and insignificant.
My child has lost her father, a her grandmother, a lifelong family friend, a great grandfather, and her cat.... Not much will really make her "HAPPY" to a level that many folks would appreciate. I'd like to give her a vacation from the last 4 years of hell on earth in this community. I shall spend it all (money) to take her to visit grandpa out in the country. There she will enjoy jumping on the trampoline in the snow, making snowmen taller than she can reach, and giggling and laughing with her cousins and running around playing hide and seek with them while gobbling up some home cooked food and then asking to play a game of cards with everyone to close out the evening. Those are the joys of family, quality time, and youth that will be priceless treasures for us this holiday season.
As for why my brain is not with Christmas at the level you might wonder....Well, first, we are blessed to have a roof over our heads at this stage.... After over 12 months of laborious effort.... After our house was completely vandalized...I have been rehabbing it to livability... My first accomplishment was her bedroom being completed by the donations of quite a few folks. Now that the holes in her walls are repaired, the new carpet is installed, and the walls are painted-she has a room all of her own now.
Let's just say that our property was nearly gutted last October by vandals and I have had to rebuild it from the ground up to livable means and worked daily to overcome the damages. She now has her very own newly renovated room. The costs and labor are far beyond her youthful comprehension of dollar and cents...and amazingly, she still somehow believes in Santa Claus at 8 years old...
While I sit and count my blessings, I must remember that she is far too young to understand SANTA CLAUS forgetting her because Santa has been working her behind off giving her a furnace, hot water tank, water lines, gas lines, windows, doors, paint, carpet, heat, water, or electric...No, my 8 year old doesn't understand that we've had to replace 3 tires, a battery, and a clutch in the last couple months.
While she's seen a couple plasma or HD tv's at a few people's homes, I am glad she appreciates our old fashioned analog TV... While she had loved her Pink DS that she once played with incessantly, I am glad she FINALLY revealed the truth about how it had been stolen at a visit to the library last summer...which she had been afraid to tell me until last week. While the last bicycle her father gave her has seemingly been outgrown by her ever growing body, I think I'll work towards the ultimate child gift of a bicycle for her...I guess I'll have to make time to ask her what she "really" wants.
I could sit here all night revealing truths about the so many sacrifices, choices of survival, and amazing blessings I feel all the same... I will not daunt those blessed to never know these challenges.
I count my blessings today and every day. I woke up breathing today, I got ten toes, I have uncountable friends remain steadfast, and that my beautiful baby girl got almost all A's on her report card while also being a girl scout, participating in band with a borrowed flute, and most significantly, being my child!!!! Smiles.
God does not promise us tomorrows. Unfortunately, too many folks put off those thoughts, words of love, and quality time until they are regrets...So, all I can say is...live without regrets and I'll ask Angelina this weekend to write her letter to Santa Claus so that I can know what her wish list is for this year! Prayerfully, Toys 4 Tots will come through because this Christmas....
As for this Chirstimas.... Santa's trying to save the house from TAX FORECLOSURE....caused by fraudulent appraisals by both appraisers and a county that completely lacked any realistic oversight to the unreal inflated appraisals that it portrayed on the citizens at large before I ever bought my home and the fact that the title company never paid off the old owner's defaulted property taxes at closing as they were supposed to do... which snowballed into amounts I won't be able to catch up on in any timely period.... Court's on December 06, 2010 at 2pm...Anyone want to front about $7,000 to those original $1,700 in property tax certificates that should have been less than $1,000 in the first place???? Anyone wish to help pay the other approximately $3,000 that has accrued since then and haven't become tax certificates yet???
Yes, I'd say my mind is a little tapped for thoughts on Christmas.... and I am far from stretched for thoughts about playing Santa Claus or digging up the beautiful Christmas Tree & decorations that are in storage because of the question of what is going to happen at court next week.... ????
While I have a pending claim against the title company...
The lawyers refuse to represent the concept that the COUNTY FRAUDULENTLY APPRAISED THE PROPERTY... or the facts that go with the conveyence forms being transcribed wrong by a county worker....and having my tax bills sent to a vacant property and returned as undeliverable to the county and remaining incorrect for too long... yepper....and it doesn't even address the fact that a county worker refused my payment towards the tax certificate telling me to wait for the tax certificate people to contact me and to deal with them direct. Yeh...none of the lawyers or legal aid wish to address these issues... comical how the Cleveland Bar Assn and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Assn have been sustaining the same addresses coincidently as the Plymouth Park Tax Services aka GLS Capital Cuyahoga and XSPAND...heck even now coinicdently located in the same building downtown as Sherrod Brown... More humorous is the fact that one of Cuyahoga County Assistant Prosecutor's, Wiliam J. Day, (under then Prosecutor-Stephanie Tubbs Jones)...later became one of the leaders of the GLS Capital organization... It's an amazing list of connections, failures, and redresses that have been stonewalled by all of the corrupt factions for far too long...
I am asking God above to help me to ascertain Social Justice on this one...WHY CANNOT THIS COUNTY FIX A GRAVE ERROR that has led to a snowball list of events??? Why would Rokakis and Russo have wanted to correct such grave errors??? Because I didn't have the connections to: PAY TO PLAY????? Sad part, I know that I am not alone.....
I want social justice and my property tax record repaired without PAYING IT OFF.... Why should I pay for third party collection and legal fees when I have been denied legal help from over 50 lawyers in the county...most of whom which dared not to SUE THE COUNTY for their wrongs....because it would be professional suicide to speak the truth.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thanks for your faith and endurance....Prayers, Blessings, and much love to everyone!