3/27/2007 Devotion and Comments

Today's Devotion:

In the mornings, I usually have the luxury to read Grace for the Moment out loud to an audience. But, since I am here in Sacramento, there is just me. That audience is my fourteen year old "puppy" Pickles. She likes to listen to me read while she eats. In fact, she will listen to me whenever I give her the opportunity. You know, that's kind of the way that God works. He listens to us, whenever we give Him the opportunity. I guess that dogs are a lot like God. Why not, they spell their name with the same letters.

This morning, Grace for the Moment talks about depending on God. I can see a parallel in the paragraph above. Pickles depends upon me for all of her needs: a place to live, food to eat, and love to sustain her. And God gives to us even more. I remember when my late wife, Norma, was starting to have a lot of medical problems brought on by her Multiple Sclerosis. I was working at a sales job where my medical benefits were being cut back and the new owner of the company wanted to put me on strict commission. I left that job praying that I would find another that would better take care of our needs. I ended up working for the State of California, where after nearly twenty years, I am still employed and am planning my retirement.

Again, as Norma's disease became worse, I really needed a vehicle that would allow her to enter and exit in her wheelchair. All of a sudden, the VA disability that I had applied for in 1992, and was rejected and appealed, was approved by the Court of Veterans Appeals, and I received a check for $30,000 - enough to buy a Dodge RAM van with a wheelchair lift.

I pray that I will continue to trust in the Lord and remember that he cares for us and will help us to provide for our needs.

Comments:

We finished the first day of our two-day meeting, and the Veterans' Subcommittee on which I served, completed the final draft of its charter. Our purpose is to increase the hiring and promotion of persons with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, in state service. We decided that we want to recommend the following to our Director:

1. Open up all the entry level positions in EDD to the Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP).
2. Arrange to have all LEAP exams posted online to make it easier for persons with disabilities to apply.
3. Allow automatic acceptance of 30% or more Service Connected Disabled Veterans into the LEAP exam process, as long as they meet the minimum qualifications of the position.
4. Develop an internship-like program (similar to the federal Government's Veterans Readjustment Act) which would allow veterans to learn entry level positions on the job, even though they might not meet all the qualifications.

Our initial thought was that we would spend additional time studying the issues. However, EDD Director Patrick Henning, dropped in on our meeting and was willing to hear our recommendations right away and will discuss them with our Deputy Directors, to see if they can be implemented. Mr. Henning is certainly a man of action and is willing to consider anything that we have to say. I have a feeling that things will start happening much faster than we ever imagined. And that is a wonderful thought.

After our meeting, Mr. Henning invited us into his office to look at all his photos and memorabilia, including pictures with the Kennedys, movie stars, and a note from Mother Teresa. He also told us a story about Sirhan Sirhan, who filed an overtime complaint with the Department of Industrial Relations, before he killed Robert Kennedy. We had a most wonderful day, and I look forward to our meeting tomorrow.