Taking a break

Well,

As previously mentioned, I haven't been having the best of weeks. Therefore, I have decided to take a break until after the Christmas season is over. This will give me time to look back and reflect on the past year and how far I have come. It will also provide me with an opportunity to examine the purpose for this blog and where I see it ending up in the future. Please pray for me during this time as I am also encountering some personal struggles of my own.

Sincerely,

Debbie

Encouragement: Facing the Giants

So,

Obviously this week hasn't been a good one for me. This has shown by my inability to write on this blog on a daily basis. I'm sorry. It's just seems like living on my own is causing more trouble than good. Despite a great weekend with my family, something still seems to get my spirits down. I don't know, I guess I just have my days.


In a effort to lift my spirits, I watched one of my favorite movies today (Saturday). It was called Facing the Giants. This story centers around a Christian football team and coach who is down on their luck. In order to inspire a new found commitment in their faith as well as their game, the coach writes a team mission statement. In summary,, their main goal was to glorify God on and off the field. In the end, this new philosophy changes everything from the team's many victories to the many personal struggles of the main characters. It is a wonderful movie. I would really recommend it.

Personal Assistant struggle

Okay,

So I know I'm running a little behind on my posts this week. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 4 weeks since I've moved out on my own. For as much as living on my own was a dream , I never imagined it being so difficult. I mean, I have dealt with personal assistants before. How hard can it be??

My answer: A lot different than you would expect.

If you have been with me long enough, you may remember me writing about my personal assistance experiences in college You can always go back and take a look if you're interested. Anyway, those experiences provided a spring board for where I am today. Even with my background, nothing could have prepared me for this experience living on my own.. I will try to examine some of these lessons briefly and explain their impact on my daily life.

1. The economic aspect- Being disabled, I have two options on how I can receive my personal care. One is through a personal care agency, the other depends on the person to hire and fire their own assistants. Both offer the same service, now only difference is the money. You see, hiring personal assistants on your own only allows you to pay the person minimum wage. That is, family independent agency only gives you a certain amount of money and you have to pay them directly. The pay is based on a personal evaluation of your needs. However, if you go through a agency, the wage is a little higher. Not only that, but agencies usually provide background checks for the people they send over. In my case, I am very lucky because I get to determine what they will do for me and whether I end up hiring them.

2. Watching out for the "motherly instinct" in personal assistants- This doesn't happen very often, but it's something to watch out for. Sometimes personal assistants see the disabled community as someone who can't think for themselves or simply think they know better!! This can be a very sticky situation. While it may be true that they are doing what they think is best for you, you have to remind them that you are an adult and their employer.

3. Independence versus dependence- Even though living on your own seems like it would bring a lot more independence, that is not all true. It depends on your disability and how much help you need on a daily basis

You learn something new every day...

Okay,

So I'm running a little behind today. The truth is, I really have nothing new to say. That is, until I remembered I taped something yesterday that may be helpful for readers. Today's topic is.. disability awareness and celebrity influence. This can be a very powerful tool to bridging the gap of understanding between the disabled and nondisabled community

You see, I recently discovered former American Idol finalist Elliott Yamin has been coping with type 1 diabetes all of his life. This amazing young singer went on to become a top selling artist, his recent album is in the top 3 of the Billboard . He had to overcome many difficulties in his personal life, including his parents' divorce. All of this made him feel isolated and alone at times. As a result, Elliot dropped out of school at the beginning of the ninth grade. After having a total of 40 jobs, his boss noticed his singing singing talent and encouraged him to go for his dreams. The rest is history. Elliott is now part of an organization named Inspired by Diabetes which raises awareness of the disease.

You can find more information about the organization at their website:

http://www.inspiredbydiabetes.com/index.jsp

--

Citation for TV Program: "Montel Williams" , Fox channel 2 Detroit, at 12:00 p.m.. , November 29, 2007.

Encouragement: Yet Another Example

Okay,

So earlier this week, I discussed the importance of accepting oneself in terms of one's differences and/or disability. Recently, I found that goes perfectly with this concept. This article illustrates how one child sees a million possibilities in his future and accomplishes every one of them with the help of his parents.

To see where he is now and for the entire article, go to:

http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_329005731.html

Understanding oneself

Well,
Thanksgiving is over. I had a wonderful, but busy weekend with my family. The first part of the weekend was spent out of town with relatives. We are helping my Aunt Ginny get ready to put her house on the market. It's been a very long process. I had no idea it would take this long. Anyway, we arrived home on Saturday safe and sound- tired as dogs. Tim and Carrie came to visit and spend the rest of the weekend with us. It was a nice time to get together, but I am glad to be home.

Looking back, I have grown a lot over the years. But today, I realized there is still a lot I have to learn about myself. To make a long story short, what I am talking about is acceptance, both from self and other people around you. This is an essential part of building confidence and independence in oneself. Sometimes, friends and family can do things to instill this confidence within you, other times, you have to do it yourself.

Parent to a disabled child, Dan Habib knows exactly what I am talking about. After learning his son had cerebral palsy, his life began to fill with uncertainty. While spending time with Samuel in the hospital, one doctor suggested that he create a video, documenting the daily struggles of a family with a disabled child.

The end result is inspiring and eye-opening. You can read the following article for more information.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071118/NEWS02/71118042/-1/XML07

Encouragement: Be Thankful

Okay,

So I had planned on doing something completely different for today when it dawned on me that today was the day before Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, I had been thinking and arranging the days off for my personal assistants; but I hadn't really had time to sit down (no pun intended ) and think about it. Things have been pretty hectic around my apartment- days full of organizing and reorganizing, trying to remember EXACTLY where I put everything in my very own place.

There have been a lot of firsts for me- both good and not so good. Here are just a few of them.

1. My very own Christmas tree. My mom bought me a pre-lit one with colored lights . All we had to do was set it up.
2. My first heat and electric bill. Luckily, it wasn't that much because I moved in halfway through the month
3. My first maintenance. They have to get me a new dishwasher because ours doesn't work. We learned that surely after moving in.

Things with my roommate are working out pretty well. She spends most weekends with me, until she can move in permanently in December. This will hopefully be on the 12th, since her semester ends at that point.. one thing I will say, things are definitely easier and more fun when she is around.

Anyway, enough about me. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Debbie

PS. There is not going to be a post on Friday because I am going to be spending time with family