After months of work and wondering every step of

of the way if we could actually do it, we finally completed the refinance of my home mortgage. Since it was totally for my benefit, I can't complain because it was a lot of trouble and took a long time. But the young man that assisted me is quite remarkable.

There were problems at nearly every turn, but we overcame them one by one by one. The main trouble was my credit history and the debt versus the value of the property. It was not simple and it became quite laborious for him.

He is quite knowledgeable and skilled. He understood every situation we encountered; he was always positive thinking, respectful and provided excellent guidance through the maze of barriers. His ability to deal with people is extraordinary. Chase held my mortgage, the one with the balloon note that engendered the refinance, and was not at all helpful, with processes that are not client friendly and create difficulty at every opportunity.

We made numerous three-way calls to their customer service line, and on several occasions had to go on to management level personnel with little effect. Finally because my loan officer was tenacious, patient, good-natured and well-spoken we slowly picked away at the walls and got through to people who could actually help.

We accumulated a great deal of paper, documented every detail of my life (the concept of personal privacy is a hoax) and finally were able to compile a file that passed muster and met all requirements.

I wish very much that the process had not been so difficult; I wish my history had been in a better state; I wish this fine young man would receive a high-dollar reward he undoubtedly earned. But we know, if wishes were presents every day would be Christmas. I'm not having a holiday; I'm just recognizing that I lived through a challenging experience and have come out the other side intact.

So I'm thankful that we could keep on until we got it done. I'm thankful for this young man's ability and strong work ethic. If I win the lottery, he's going to get a nice Christmas present.