Picture0009The dilemma of my State capital and their wisdom was an issue less than twenty four hours ago.  Recommendation forms as well as verification of volunteerism or ‘working’ in the field advocating and peering.

Not…any more.

State requirements say simply I have to either volunteer or have been employed for 1000 hours advocating and peering.  Five long years, and I couldn’t use my experience…because I didn’t ‘work for’ someone, either paid or pro bono.

Now, the wording of ‘recommendations’ is very specific, someone has to fill in a form…and they CANNOT be a relative.

  • EPIPHANY: It doesn’t say you can’t work for a relative in a business!

That being said, I ran to my son’s room where he was taking a nap from our day at Wal-mart.

“Dude…dude…wake up DUDE!”

He raised his head from the covers, disturbed.  One of those ‘have you taken your meds today’ looks coming over him.

“Dude…raise your right hand and repeat after me.”

This took about 10 times of me having to do the ‘trust me’ line, and then telling him he could discontinue the vow at any time he thought it was something he couldn’t handle, want to, etc.

“Repeat after me…I, ‘say your name’…”

“I (he said his name rather than say “say your name”, he knew I was ready to go manic by now the way I was dancing),”

“…do accept the position of Director of ‘Homeless In Jax’, a website known to me to be in existance since 2004, and created by a person known to me to be experiencing homelessness and living with a mental disorder at the time of it’s creation, and that it has been maintained since then until now under that person, and that person turning over it’s business to be Directed by me at this time, and am in a position to assert, verify, and account as his superior in this venture to others as to his record of advocacy and personal investment of volunteerism for the duration of no less than five years to this date.”

And with that, JohnC now has a website he has a documented history of advocacy with, who has a person running it’s business that can verify the extent of his having done so.

Now, off to send the letters off for signing by my recommenders, get them back before the cutoff, and send the packet in to Tallahassee.

…oh, yeah.  Then there’s that test based on a three inch stack of papers from a one week class.

And I thought things were going ‘So’ well.

Today’s lesson was facing one’s fear.  I could have just given up.  I wouldn’t be taking the next step if I had.

…Life Onwards!