There is something different that occurs when a person sees a photograph of him/herself. Of seeing a stranger, there is little that is stirred; of a friend, perhaps a slight nudge; of family members, parents, siblings — past memories come alive, scents are sharpened, the context of the photograph is yearned for.
Then, the encounter with the self — of a former image, a vestige, a residue; and of memories that come into focus with greater clarity. The scent of that moment; the laughter or tears that are remembered; perhaps a mourning for that someone who was captured for a brief moment in time, bundled up into a complicated ball of emotions forgotten, a future yet unknown, and promises made and left broken. We all yearn and mourn for what once was, what could have been, and the years which have passed by that can never be returned.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal worker from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, the time before the illness, accident or onset of a medical disability is like seeing one’s own photograph of a time before: It cannot be recaptured, but only remembered.
Consult with a FERS Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and consider filing for a benefits that allows for recuperating back somewhat to a time “before” — of that photograph of yourself.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire