Taking a Moment to Breathe

The other night my mother and father-in-law came over to our house. They had just spent the last month in Florida. A much needed and deserved break. When Erika and I sat down at the kitchen table we caught up on so many things. As you could imagine, there was a lot to catch up on! At one point she said, I've been reading your blogs but they've become so technical, I miss the personal blogs. She enjoyed the personal blogs because they allowed her and the rest of our friends and family to catch up on our kids lives and our wild careers. She's right. Somewhere along the way I switched gears and began writing in my wonky wall street speak and frankly you here enough of that lately to make you sick so it's time to mix it up and have some fun. Not that my life is that much fun!!!

There is so much to catch up on so I'll just pick up on some random fun experiences and some of the behind the scenes fun. If you've seen me on the tube lately you'll notice that I've been doing a lot of prime-time shows on FNC in addition to my morning gig on FBN. I appear fairly regularly on Greta Van Susteren's show and Sean Hannity's show. About a week or so ago I told my oldest son Logan that I would have to go back into the office around 9:30pm after he went to bed. He begged and pleaded to join me. After multiple requests I obliged and we collectively asked dad if he would give us the thumbs up. He did. Logan was thrilled! As I waited to do Greta's show, I knocked on Sean’s studio door to introduce him to Logan. Sean has two kids my age. The minute Logan stepped on to his set, during the commercial break, Sean pulled out his nerf football and starting playing ball with my son. For three minutes with multiple guests on set Logan ran around his studio catching passes from Sean. He had no idea who Sean Hannity was but he is now his favorite person at Fox. Just the other night I brought Logan back only this time to do Sean's show. Logan carried his signed Jets nerf football to play with Sean. Once again he was the perfect host and treated my son like he was his own son. He's a very special person!

Speaking of Logan, take a look at these shots. Here's my future Stanley Cup Champion Logan Sky Glick on the ice just the other day. He skates at Chelsea Piers, a huge sports facility on the west side of Manhattan here in New York City. My kids take tons of after school classes there. Logan's only seven but this is his third year on the ice and he's quite amazing. As you can see from the photos, he just got his annual trophy. He's contemplating bringing it in to my office to show to Sean! Too cool for words. Thanks to my father-in-law Barry for the beautiful shots.

Work is awesome, overwhelming, off the charts, busy, cool, hard to describe, endless, depressing, exciting, and euphoric, you name it. Working around the clock but so appreciative that the top story in these markets is the economy and its connection to Washington DC. Every day I get a little more outraged about what's going on at the White House. I have spoken on behalf of this administration on dozens of occasions and still believe some of the brightest minds work there but so far they are mishandling one too many important issues. I am thrilled to see that this President still has 60% plus approval ratings and that Americans continue to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I appreciate that he is a consensus builder and that he is surrounding himself with vastly different opinions but I'm worried he is unrealistically trying to do too much at one time and as a result is spreading himself too thin. Allowing Pelosi, Reid and other key Democrats to control the dialogue in the House and Senate on stimulus, budget and omnibus discussions is not good. It's one thing to win the majority. It's one thing to ask Republicans for their advice and opinions. It's another thing to cram down legislation without taking all of those points of view into consideration. I wish he would say I campaigned on eight issues and here are the three issues that I am going to dedicate all of my time and effort to while we fix this economy. I believe the American people would give him a lot more credit for saying that. Right now his administration is angering tax payers, small business owners, private student loans companies, oil and gas companies because of cap and trade and greenhouse gas emissions which, oh by the way, will make our electricity bills more expensive, and multinational corporations who derive a lion's share of their income from overseas operations. Not pretty! He needs to step back and reassess the situation. He needs Paul Volker and Lawrence Summers to get out there because Geithner has lost some much needed credibility. I am praying they'll get a move on an aggregator bank. Call it what you wish. Getting toxic assets off the books of financial institutions is a must. I know it is risky and costly but this market will keep cracking if we don't do it. It is UGLY. The market is now where it was when I was just 2 1/2 years out of college. That is too hard to digest! I believe they will do it and it's a matter of time before they announce it. When they do, this market will move like a rocket on the upside. Until then, fasten your seatbelts because you haven't seen anything yet!

Speaking of DC, I spent several days down there for work recently and I loved it. I know we're not too thrilled about how some of our elected officials are doing at the moment but keep in mind when you're angry and frustrated that many of them are doing the best they can under extraordinary circumstances. We can't lump all of them into one pile. It was fascinating to spend some time in the Capital. One day I broadcasted from inside the Cannon Rotunda. That was so cool! I hadn't walked the halls of Congress since I was in grammar school. It was so great. So regal. I felt so proud to be an American. There is nothing that says power and democracy like the halls of Congress. I'll never forget that trip.

Speaking of the trip, I went down to speak on a panel with Marvin Kalb of the Kalb Report. He's a legend. The show appears on PBS and radio stations just about everywhere. It was an incredible panel with some of the brightest minds in the business journalism industry. Diana Henriques of the New York Times, a very well-known financial investigative reporter, Steve Pearlstein of the Washington Post, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 2008 for his commentary on the economic problems plaguing this country and finally, Ali Velshi of CNN, a regular commentator and author. I felt so touched and cool to sit on a stage with them. They taught me a lot about the current climate and the role that journalists played in trying to notify the public that something was not right years ago. I was so impressed and think I made some long-term connections out of it. It was just as cool talking to the students at George Washington University which hosted the event. They're so smart, energetic and engaged in this economic story and they want to understand what’s happening and how it will impact them. I don't blame them. Many of these students will graduate to one of the toughest job markets in our lifetime.

Speaking of lifetimes, just last weekend my mom hosted a memorial service for a very close friend of hers that I have known since I was a little girl. Her name was Bridie Race. She spent the vast majority of her career at the New York Public Library working for some very well-known educators including Dr. Vartan Gregorian, former President of Brown University, now President of Carnegie Corporation and Father Timothy Healy, a Jesuit Priest, formerly President of Georgetown (now deceased). She was a very, very special person who had spent the latter part of her life fighting diabetes. Just this past Christmas she came to our house for Christmas Eve. She was in a wheelchair but as upbeat and thrilled as anyone at the party to be a part of our family and watch my three boys open their presents.

At the memorial service my mom read some beautiful letters from friends and former colleagues and then she read this poem, a poem that a girlfriend had sent her. It epitomizes Bridie's spirit. I thought you would enjoy it. It reminds us of what really is most important in life.

If Tomorrow Starts Without Me
By David Romano

If tomorrow starts without me and I am not there to see

If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me

I wish so much you wouldn’t cry the way you did today

While thinking of the many things we didn’t get to say

I know how much you love me, as much as I love you

And each time that you think of me I know you’ll miss me too

But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand

That an angel came and called my name and took me by the hand

And said my place was ready in heaven far above

And that I’d have to leave behind all those I dearly love

But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eye

For all my life, I’d always thought I didn’t want to die

I had so much to live for, so much left yet to do

It seemed almost impossible, that I was leaving you

I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad

I thought of all the love we shared and all the fun we had

If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while,

I’d say good-bye and kiss you and maybe see you smile

But then I fully realized that this could never be

For emptiness and memories, would take the place of me

And when I thought of worldly things, I might miss come tomorrow,

I thought of you and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through Heaven’s gates, I felt so much at home

When God looked down and smiled at me from His great golden throne

He said, “This is eternity and all I’ve promised you.

Today your life on earth is past, but here life starts anew

I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last

And since each day’s the same way, there’s no longing for the past

You have been faithful, so trusting and so true

Though there were times you did some things you knew you shouldn’t do

But you have been forgiven and now at last you’re free

So won’t you come and take my hand,

And share your life with me?”

So when tomorrow starts without me, don’t think we’re far apart

For every time you think of me, I’m right here