Maybe I need to go a little bit into my background...... Please bear with me a moment, there is a point.
I grew up thinking that I was gonna own the world. I believed I could have it all: a career and a perfect family. For the longest time, up to my sophomore year of high school, I was going to be a veterinarian. But then I realized that sick animals made me too sad. Specific career plans, kind of fell by the way side, but I still got my Bachelor's Degree. But it wasn't until I started working at the Wal-Mart in Guntersville, Alabama that I figured out what I wanted to be... a civil servant, lol. That was when I met a group of policemen, who seemed like real heroes to me. They were part of a program that President Clinton, I believe started, where the officers would just simply hang out in the higher crime areas. You know, get to know the residents and just be a presence in their community, not just harass them when times got rough. They encouraged me, but they were like, Doris, you have a college degree become an FBI Agent. So that became my new career goal. So a year out of college, I started working for the FBI as a support personnel. Eventually, I took all the tests and failed my first interview to become an FBI Agent. But that was okay, I had one more chance. I was running and working with a personal trainer. I can run fast for a big girl. Everyone was encouraging me.
Then I got pregnant with Javy. That still didn't deter me, remember, I believe that I can have it all.
Then on 9-11-01, that's when reality hit me. I was five months pregnant with Javy and I was at a training at Quantico, VA. I was so scared that day. Outside there was beautiful, crisp blues skies. and only 30 miles away, there was destruction. It was surreal. I just kept holding my belly. Later, that night, I saw the airplane sticking out of the pentagon with smoke still coming out of it, as me and my co-workers just stared in awe. I've never seen the National Mall that empty . Volunteers were needed to go to NYC as Employee Assistance Counselors. I turned them down. All I could think about was protecting my baby and getting home to my family. That's when I knew that I could never be an FBI Agent. I could never put in the dedication that was required to do the best I could. My son was more important.
But I still believe that I have it all, my priorities just changed. I'm still a public servant, as I've been working for the government for 14 years now. I have a wonderful family that I love to take care of- Javy, my mom and occasionally my sister when she is here. It's unconventional, but it works for me. We live in the only place that I've ever felt at home and the only place I would have Javy grow up.
Now it's time for the next challenge in my life. Buy my own home, one that will grow with Javy. So I've been researching some websites to see if there is anything out there to help families by homes and adapt them for people with disabilities. I did come up with some stuff today. http://www.hihomeownership.org: http://www.nw.org/network/neighborworksProgs/ownership/default.asp:Housing Assistance: Housing: Disability.gov If anyone else knows about something, please let me know.
I grew up thinking that I was gonna own the world. I believed I could have it all: a career and a perfect family. For the longest time, up to my sophomore year of high school, I was going to be a veterinarian. But then I realized that sick animals made me too sad. Specific career plans, kind of fell by the way side, but I still got my Bachelor's Degree. But it wasn't until I started working at the Wal-Mart in Guntersville, Alabama that I figured out what I wanted to be... a civil servant, lol. That was when I met a group of policemen, who seemed like real heroes to me. They were part of a program that President Clinton, I believe started, where the officers would just simply hang out in the higher crime areas. You know, get to know the residents and just be a presence in their community, not just harass them when times got rough. They encouraged me, but they were like, Doris, you have a college degree become an FBI Agent. So that became my new career goal. So a year out of college, I started working for the FBI as a support personnel. Eventually, I took all the tests and failed my first interview to become an FBI Agent. But that was okay, I had one more chance. I was running and working with a personal trainer. I can run fast for a big girl. Everyone was encouraging me.
Then I got pregnant with Javy. That still didn't deter me, remember, I believe that I can have it all.
Then on 9-11-01, that's when reality hit me. I was five months pregnant with Javy and I was at a training at Quantico, VA. I was so scared that day. Outside there was beautiful, crisp blues skies. and only 30 miles away, there was destruction. It was surreal. I just kept holding my belly. Later, that night, I saw the airplane sticking out of the pentagon with smoke still coming out of it, as me and my co-workers just stared in awe. I've never seen the National Mall that empty . Volunteers were needed to go to NYC as Employee Assistance Counselors. I turned them down. All I could think about was protecting my baby and getting home to my family. That's when I knew that I could never be an FBI Agent. I could never put in the dedication that was required to do the best I could. My son was more important.
But I still believe that I have it all, my priorities just changed. I'm still a public servant, as I've been working for the government for 14 years now. I have a wonderful family that I love to take care of- Javy, my mom and occasionally my sister when she is here. It's unconventional, but it works for me. We live in the only place that I've ever felt at home and the only place I would have Javy grow up.
Now it's time for the next challenge in my life. Buy my own home, one that will grow with Javy. So I've been researching some websites to see if there is anything out there to help families by homes and adapt them for people with disabilities. I did come up with some stuff today. http://www.hihomeownership.org: http://www.nw.org/network/neighborworksProgs/ownership/default.asp:Housing Assistance: Housing: Disability.gov If anyone else knows about something, please let me know.
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