Changing Seasons

Hello readers, I want to wish you the best day ever. I know I’ve been absent for a few months. I’ve been dealing with severe respiratory issues. I was short of breath and without a voice for most of the summer, instead of spending my days at the beach or a park. I spent my days with a neti pot and a series of nebulizer treatments. My birthday was not spent with a cute girl, I spent it in Urgent Care trying to breathe. Honestly, I’m still not 100%. I Have something in my heart that I know someone needs to hear. I decided to move my weekly blogs to Thursdays and my next podcast will be released on September 15, 2024. My bonus newsletter will be released every Sunday As usual. I thank you all for your patience.

The word tokenism, according to Google, the word tokenism is defined as ” The practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.”

Expressions such as these are why I started this blog in the first place because so often people with disabilities are used as “tokens” to make us feel empowered while we are viewed as less than. When I joined the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities and gave my oath of office I specifically asked God for the wisdom and strength to carry out all the duties asked of me. It was important to me to earn the spot I was appointed by the governor’s office. From 2017-2024 I served as the Vice-Chairman Of this organization. In a summer filled with disappointments and broken plans because of my illness this hurt.

Did they not know I was up until 11:30 The night before going through emails? Did I lose value to my colleagues? Was I just a token? I didn’t like to lose. I felt like I had earned that position with all the work I’ve done. After the meeting, I called the man who won the election. I was not upset with him Just the situation. I did it to help me move on. He didn’t answer so I left a message. I thought that would be the end of it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV [1] There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

When I woke up the next morning he left a message on my phone. He was so overjoyed. I feel he needed this victory more than I did. I learned a lesson that day. I saved the message on my phone to make sure I remember it for years to come. If my dream is to become a public servant, I must be selfless instead of selfish. Maybe I’ll get elected again next cycle, maybe I won’t. It’s not up to me it’s up to the people. Maybe another opportunity will open up. I cannot give up and can not be the honored guest at my pity party.

So often people lose their lives because they’re so busy worried about the things they don’t have anymore. Don’t close yourself off the new opportunities. As always thank you for reading. Please leave a comment.

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