Reflections

As I cleaned off my desk at work today I was reminded of a year full of projects centering around budget cuts.  It seemed to be a central theme of all of the paperwork sitting on my desk, sadly enough.  Don't get me wrong, some of these cuts needed to happen.  However, some situations have also been devestrating.  Florida seems to have some very blurred lines between entitlement and true needs. 

I have worked in the field with these individuals for 13 years. I have seen some real success stories and have seen many horror stories as well. It is difficult to category a population of people's needs by what is on paper. These are individuals each with his/her own gifts, challenges, and interests.  This cannot be captured by an equation or an algorithm, which is what the state is doing.

This time of year, I always try to re-organize and think of ways to make things better, easier.  In the field of working with individuals with disabilities, that is such an unknown at this point.  The program that I work for is in a crisis.  If not resolved, many people will be either in jail or living in nursing homes.

For now, I have one more day of work before I have a 4 day weekend to celebrate Christmas.  Christmas for me this year feels like a second Thanksgiving.  I have had so many blessings in my life this year.  I still have a job, I am a proud homeowner, my boyfriend is in remission after a 2 year battle with Lymphoma and my dad had a successful kidney transplant.  I can't ask for much more than that!  Next year is in God's hands.