As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
At first I wanted to be a Mommy then as I got older I realized I wanted to work outside the home like my Daddy. For a while I thought I was going to be an Artist because I enjoyed drawing and sketching. Finally in my later teenage years I wanted to be a writer. Well I’m neither a Mommy nor an Artist. I do write but I don’t get paid to do so and I doubt I’ll every make a living as a writer. Lucky for me Writing is something I will always do whether I ever get published or not.
Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was….
Earning my BA in English and graduating from Marymount Manhattan College in May 2002!!
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Grateful for last week’s vacation and time spent with my brother Stephen this past weekend. Looking forward to next weekend.
These are the people who help take care of my brother Stephen. Please support the Direct Care Workers. Come out to the Rally on March 11th. If you cannot come out to the rally to increase the salaries of Direct Care Professions please call, write, or email Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Thank you. Unfortunately because of my work schedule I cannot be at the Rally. Those of you who have been following over a period of time know that it has been next to impossible for me to get time off work for Stephen or to extend my Autism Activism/Advocacy. More or less I’m doing my Autism Advocacy with my hands tied behind my back.
Somebody please tell me why people like my brother Stephen do not have value in this country? Why aren’t the Direct Care Workers paid a living wage? I’m afraid. I’m afraid for Stephen. If the Direct Care Workers are not there then who will care for him? How will I hold down a full-time job and take care of my brother also? It is very difficult to be happy when you don’t know what the future holds for yourself or your developmentally disabled Loved one.
The Cost of Compassion
GET READY TO RAAALLLYYY!!!
We support the Governors proposal to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour in
NYS –
but there is NO MONEY IN HIS PROPOSED BUDGET to pay for it!
We need additional funding to pay workers the increased wages and to raise
lower paid staff salaries so they don’t lose ground when the minimum is
raised.
Excellent Health Reports from My Mt. Sinai formerly Roosevelt Hospital Doctors who are the best in New York City!! Got Good News phone calls from both my GYN and regular MD. All my tests came back normal! I’m totally and completely healthy!! My general practitioner did say I do need to drink more water and cut back on starch & carbs. Other than that I’m in Great Shape!!
STEPHEN VINCENT PALMER GOOD NEWS
Stephen attended a “Paint with Friends” party on Feb. 26th. Here is his artwork. Autism is No obstacle to Stephen. He is very creative and ready to express his talents!! Stephen has also successfully tried his hand with photography! I LOVE MY BROTHER STEPHEN PALMER!!
Stephen will be with me this weekend March 5th & 6th and we will take in a movie and visit local museums. A great way to end my Chillaxin’ two week vacation!
I have always seen and viewed my brother Stephen in a positive light. For me Stephen is my personal Blessing and gift from God. All of us have some degree of disability. Autism has been a Plus + for Stephen and me. Despite naysayer doctors back in 1963 who advised my parents to put Stephen in an institution Mom & Dad ignored the medical profession and raised Stephen to be a contributing member of society. Stephen will be 55 years old on May 3rd and continues to break barriers and amaze me. I know our parents are smiling down from Heaven on us!!
Have you done something you truly want to do today?
Slept until 7:30 am. Trying to coordinate my schedule so I can do more Autism Activism. For example there is a rally on Friday March 11th in front of the Gov. Cuomo New York City office for the Gov. to increase funding to agencies which serve people with developmental disabilities. Gov. Cuomo has proposed increasing the minimum wage to $15 but unless he increases funding to agencies how will these organizations afford to pay their workers. This presents a dilemma for me as my brother Stephen lives in a Group Home and relies on his Direct Care workers for assistance with his daily needs. Now if one can make more money working at Mickey D’s why would you stay helping disabled people? Therefore this may cause agencies/organizations to lose workers thereby affecting my brother Stephen and others like him in a negative manner.
My problem is that my vacation ends March 7th. I return to work March 8th and it is highly unlikely I can get March 11th as a day off. Sigh…….
Here is the backstory of my battle and if you do a Blog search using the terms Stephen Vincent Palmer, Paid Family Leave, Stephen Palmer or FMLA you can see what I’ve been going through over the past eight years. Sadly the laws in the United States nor the attitudes of employers have kept up with average citizens (especially those like me in low wage/low level) who must care for a disabled loved one. There is great stigma against those with intellectually or developmental disabilities and their caregivers. What should be a legal/moral right turns into a battle where companies force workers to choose between having a job that pays your bills or losing your job because your disabled family member needs you. I walk a delicately balanced tightrope with No safety net beneath me. This weighs on my mind 24/7/365. However I place my faith in God to deliver not only me and Stephen but all who fight for this just cause. Like the song says, “I will Praise you in all that I do. In the good times and bad. Whether happy or sad. Because Praise is what I do.”
The New York Times did an article on my brother Stephen and me. Please take time to read this eye opening article of our lives. Thank you. http://nyti.ms/1BktTeP
What can you help the world with?
Autism Activism. Being an Independent Advocate for people with Developmental Disabilities. If my job grants me FMLA I will be in a better position for Autism Activism. Also when Paid Family Leave comes to pass for the New York State I will be able to increase my Autism Activism/Advocacy.
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If life was ‘just a bowl of cherries’… which fruit other than a cherry would you be..?
Maybe an apple. I like the expression being “The Apple of someone’s Eye.” Also New York is known as The Big Apple and has many apple orchards in upstate New York. Otherwise I’d be a pineapple because they grow in nice warm sunny climes
Quotes List: At least three of your favorite quotes?
Philippians 4:13 New King James Version (NKJV)
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
2 Timothy 1:7 New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Isaiah 54:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
Fred Hammond – No Weapon
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
My Vacation. Had a great Birthday on Feb. 27th. Still on vacation. Looking forward to spending time with my brother Stephen next weekend March 5th & 6th.
Espiritu en Fuego/A Fiery Spirit 