FERS Medical Retirement: Merry Christmas 2022

It occurs every year on the same date, year after year — and, yet, each time is unique, different, and memorable.  Despite the sameness, we can somehow remember explicit differences separating each — of dinner table conversations years later: “Remember Christmas of ____ when Uncle Ben went out and did X?”; “Or that Christmas morning snowstorm in ___?” Somehow, no matter the clutter of memories, each is bifurcated independently with joyful memories of uniqueness.

It is a time when everyone agrees to a cessation of hostilities and goes about shouting “Merry Christmas!”  To family and strangers alike.  That alone, in and of itself, is a miracle, without even invoking the religious significance of the date.  Somehow, all of the enmity and differences which divide, melt away, and are placed with goodwill from and for all.  Nations and families —both at the micro and macro levels, agree to a truce; everyone takes the day off (even Scrooge) and enjoys the company of the moment; and the warmth of the day sparkles with the blinking lights of decorated trees and windows in testament to joy and hope for tomorrow.

There is no other day like Christmas, and despite all of the problems facing families and nations alike, we will remember Christmas 2022 years hence — as that special day when we gathered together to shout the universal language: “Merry Christmas! “  And peace and joy to all.

Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

 

FERS Disability Retirement: Merry Christmas

Another year, gone.  It is the time of festivities; of families traveling great distances in order to gather together and engage in traditions created, memories served and food plentifully prepared; and then to share in the gift-giving — a secular occasion, to be sure, but with roots spanning centuries and across cultures and religious roots and customs.  Remember always that perfection is not the goal and failing to achieve it is not a reason to despair.  In the end, it is also not a contest to receive the most “stuff”, but rather, to reestablish relationships frayed or otherwise strained, and to enjoy the company of those who would make the effort to join in the singularly-appointed time of coming together.  Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year.

Sincerely, Robert R. McGill, Esquire

FERS Disability Retirement: Thanksgiving — 2022

Every Thanksgiving is unique and special.  Why?  Because each year brings new and unrealized challenges.  Between the day after Thanksgiving and the following year’s Thanksgiving, with 360-plus days to contend with, life modifies and alters.  There is not much we can do about it.  Stuff happens.  Family dynamics change; grief occurrences intrude; tragedies impede; life happens.  And yet, when the next Thanksgiving comes to the fore and we gather together once more, we are no longer the person we were at last Thanksgiving, and yet we find the blessings of life for which we are thankful.

Yes, yes, all that “pilgrim stuff” and the Native Americans and the tug and pull of which historical paradigm we should acknowledge, accept and pay homage to — and yet, when we gather around the Thanksgiving table, does any of that matter?  And the turkey — is actually besides the point.  It is the ‘extras’ — of stuffing, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole, all of the side dishes; and the gathering of family.  Yes, it might be irritating to hear Uncle X expound upon his political beliefs; or Aunt Y making rude comments about this or that dish; or someone having the temerity to talk about politics or how sanctimonious the pilgrims were, blah blah blah.

But in the tumultuous interaction of family and friends, if you just pause for a moment and remember that human relationships are complex all around the world, you might just hear the quiet blessings which matter most:  Family; health; laughter; joy; a moment of reflective ecstasy — another year, and yet we are heathy enough to enjoy this day, this special moment, of Thanksgiving, 2022.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill
Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

 

FERS Medical Retirement: Veterans Day 2022

It is a day — A National Holiday — honoring all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, as well as those killed in this country’s wars throughout the years.   Its origins are based upon the first anniversary of the 1918 armistice which resulted in the cessation of hostilities in WWI — that “Great War” that was meant to end all wars.   Any reading of history should have taught a lesson to all — of the horrors of war and the trauma upon a country for at least a generation.  It is well that we all have short memories, lest those memories would remind us and prompt us to pause before embarking into another war.

For those who have served and still serve today, Veterans Day is a special day set aside to celebrate, to remember, to honor.  This last word — “honor” — has become an outdated, almost foreign concept these days.  To honor is to serve, and to be honored is to have served.  It is to esteem and show respect.  Very little of that concept seems to have survived in recent years.

A recent WSJ Editorial pointed out that less than 25% of Americans ages 18 – 25 are even eligible for serving in the Armed Forces, either because of obesity or having a criminal history.  That is a sad commentary on the state of our population and what it portends for the future defense of this country.   Regardless — for this special day of November 11, 2022, let’s take the time to honor all veterans, whether with a salute, a “hoop-and-hurrah”, or raising a cold glass of beer for a fellow veteran in honor of his or her service.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill
Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

 

Columbus Day 2022

Whether as Columbus Day or as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, it is an official day off for Federal and Postal employees.  Does it matter what and how we ascribe it?  It has been many centuries since the voyage of Columbus; each child born today, and for many centuries past, can hardly be blamed for the ill-deeds of past generations.

That being said — if we are blameless — is it merely in the beliefs to which we identify, which marks the differences between us?  Certainly, for a Native American, it is irritating to hear someone claim that “such and such discovered America”; for, by definition, a land already inhabited cannot claim to have been discovered except by the inhabitants themselves.

But the argument is that the present society into which people are currently born, cannot possibly be blamed for the genocidal extermination of its indigenous peoples; and so, what can it mean as to whether or not one calls it “Columbus Day” or “Indigenous Peoples’ Day”?

The counter to that, of course, is that the reservations into which Native Americans were forced to accept, still reverberates with current loss of water rights, mineral rights, etc., and is a constant reminder of what was lost.  And it may be of some restoration of dignity to insist upon historical accuracy, where insistent inaccuracy is the basis for acrimonious inter-cultural relationships.

Yet, in this Post-Factual Universe where the Western approach of the Correspondence Theory of Truth once prevailed but no longer dominates, is there even a difference with a distinction?

For most, where the meaningful divide is between those who are overworked, barely able to make a living, and are stressed to their limits — which constitute the greater majority of individuals — and those who live a fairly carefree life of leisure (the greater minority of people), the fact of a day off, whatever you want to call it, is what seems to mean anything.

And for Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who can enjoy the day to spend with their families and loved ones, Happy Columbus Day and Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2022.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill
Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

 

FERS Medical Retirement: Labor Day — 2022

It is the last hurrah; the demarcation before the race begins — of the true starting point as well as the finish line.  The end of lazy days in summer; the beginning of the long slosh of working days until – Thanksgiving?

Historically, it is the day set aside to celebrate and honor the achievements of the American Labor Movement — that antiquated time when workers demanded and gained “rights” and privileges.  Unfettered capitalism required something more than flowery words and good intentions; safety on the workplace floor was not always taken for granted, and when children were put to work and deprived of a childhood, the need for a “labor movement” was spurred into existence.

History does not reflect a time past where good hearted people with a conscience voluntarily provided a “living wage”, or cared about safety and the protection of the worker, or out of a social conscience provided for healthcare, days off to spend with families, restricted the number of hours required to work, etc.

Instead, the long and inglorious history of the Industrial Revolution is replete with poverty-induced wages, unsafe working conditions and uncaring industrialists striving to squeeze every penny out of exhausted and overworked employees.  In this modern age, we have been persuaded that those “olden days” of predatory industrialists wouldn’t/couldn’t possibly return; but any study and knowledge of human history would betray such a notion.

The American Labor Movement was a necessary component of human progress; it is relevant today, just as it was in past times.  The fact that the American Worker can have a 3-day weekend and enjoy family, friends, a neighborhood barbecue — or just to sleep in for a change — is a testament to that celebratory day we love and cherish:  Labor Day, September 5th, 2022.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill,
Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Have a Happy 4th

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!!! Sincerely, Robert R. McGill, Esquire

FERS Disability Retirement: 4th of July, 2022

A “demarcation day” is important for every nation — that date of national identification; of a time when the nation’s birth is first recognized.  We moderns can only imagine what the Founding Fathers went through — of declaring independence from the greatest power on earth; of an uncertain future; of an uncertain war.  Countries were once bounded by borders certain; today, it is not borders which define a nation, but rather, ideas, opinions and beliefs.

Thus, in America today, the physical borders no longer define our nation; rather, it is the disputatious character about our history, politics and cultural self-image which formulates our national definition.  Is this a good thing?  Is it a positive thing that disaffected and fractious groups look defiantly upon the 4th of July?

Perhaps — or not; but one thing is certain: in America, we can dispute and freely engage in speech which voices a thousand different opinions without fear of imprisonment, and that alone was something which the 4th of July remains as a symptoms of freedom and liberty.  And, moreover, we all have an extra day to enjoy the family gatherings, the small parades, the waving of flags and setting off of fireworks.

In the end, however each family celebrates this blessed 4th of July, 2022, we can at least enjoy the brief respite from the toils of everyday life.

Happy 4th of July, 2022!

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

Federal Disability Retirement: Memorial Day 2022

It is a day of solemn observance; an obligation to actually pause and do something — to remember, to honor, to engage in memory, even if there is no one personally “known” to have made the ultimate sacrifice.  For, a nation which fails to remember is one which is destined to repeat its mistakes; and it is only fitting that this commemorative day is celebrated just before the traditional festivities of summer.

And the best way to remember is through gathering and celebrating — of families getting together around a barbecue and sharing memories of loved ones once present but now represented by an empty chair, or of stories from long ago — grandparents of another era, great grand-nieces and nephews now captured only by fading photographs where stillness and smiles are dotted with age.

Both as a day of solemn remembrance and of celebratory festivities, Happy Memorial Day, 2022.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

 

FERS Disability Retirement: President’s Day 2022

There have been many of them.  Originally, this holiday was meant to commemorate and recognize our “first” — George Washington, born on February 22, 1732.  It is a habit for nations to acknowledge “firsts”, as well, we do so in our personal lives.  The “first step” of a toddler; the first day of class; the first kiss; the first time-X; and many more, besides.

More recently, the day has come to recognize all of our presidents, good, bad or indifferent.  In modernity, it has come to be a contentious point of conflict: From whether we should celebrate the life of a slave owner, to why we should give recognition to those presidents considered as less than honorable — the spectrum of opinions on the matter remains vociferous and vibrant.

For a democracy (yes, yes, we can quibble as to the difference without a distinction in contrast to a “Constitutional Republic”), perhaps that is a healthy matter, for the raging debate and intellectual discourse is always a positive characteristic reflecting involved citizens.  Regardless, let’s take the day for what it is worth, and enjoy the time remaining in each of our lives by pausing to reflect in these difficult times.

Sincerely,

Robert R. McGill
Lawyer exclusively representing Federal and Postal employees to secure their Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.