The Glove

By Valerie X Armstrong

This glove is just one of many that have been worn by a hard working man I know...a man who has worked since he was a young teen and is now middle aged...pushing senior status...I saved it as a testament to the sacrifices he has made for his family...Sometimes he went through two or three pairs a week...sometimes more. These gloves are worn thread bare from the dirty, hard, heavy work this man has done to eke out a meager living.

 The hands they are worn to protect are not just ordinary hands, they are the talented, sensitive hands of a musician who can make a guitar evoke any emotion known to mankind. This man has worked at any job he could find, when necessary. He is an accomplished musician, recording engineer (with a Full Sail degree to prove it) , Deejay, surveyor, electrician, among other things, but when work in his chosen fields was scarce he would do just about any job to support himself and his family...

He is no free loader or slacker. In fact, he was seriously injured doing the work he wore these gloves to do. That, plus being a victim of an auto accident just a few blocks from his home has rendered him disabled according to the United States Social Security Administration. 

Getting approved for disability is a grueling task in and of itself. It sometimes takes years to be approved and countless forms and doctors verifications are required. It is paid into by the worker, just like retirement, and is not a freebie from the government paid for by taking away from anybody else.

 It irritates me no end when holier than thou people who are fortunate enough never to have had any accidents severe enough to cause them permanent disability, complain that their hard earned tax dollars are paying for some "dead beat" on disability. The amount paid by disability is not enough to live on. Hard work does not always equal money and success. Just about anyone at any time can find themselves in a similar situation, so be careful before you judge someone else. Karma, you know.