So many things are going on yet it seems what is of major importance when I stop and think is the minds of people are cluttered. Yes our minds are so cluttered up with everyday living these days that we don’t, or we won’t, take time out for a little prayer as often as we should.—for mental cleansing. Can you imagine not taking the bath you need for your outer cleansing?. You need to take the time daily for your mind and your soul to recharge it, cleanse it —-nourish it —-feed it. Give it life . Both are necessary.
Last weekend my neurologist Dr.Hughes taught a workshop called Living With MS as a family. At the workshop one of the very neat things done was stations were set up to allow others to understand what our life might be like. To give you an idea of the difficulty I experience in walking try this: place 25 pound weights on each of your legs and try to walk in a straight line. Yep that is how it is for me with each step I take all day long—–a struggle and often thought to be a drunk. I have been asked to take a test to show I was not under the influence only to embaresse someone when I pulled out the information from physicians indicating I have Multiple Sclerosis. Yes I have been told many times it would be easier and I would conserve energy if I would use a scooter or a motorized wheelchair but I am not ready for that yet except for those long distance places—-then you bet I will.
Here are a few of special thoughts about living with Multiple Sclerosis or Missy as I now call it.:
to be grateful for good days
that I can’t safely sneeze while standing
to focus on my abilities
that I’m not disabled, I just do things differently than most other people
that borrowing trouble merely means I’ll have to pay interest on it later.
to take a tablet or two of humor with my morning vitamins.
that there are more beautiful sunsets than ordinary ones.
that I can’t always reach the roses to stop & smell them, but I can enjoy their beauty.
that my Missy (MS) is difficult enough for me to understand, let alone for someone else.
that some days seeing the world from a wheelchair beats being too tired to enjoy it. ( This one is tough for me—because I know if you don’t use them you lose them—-muscles have to be used) I fought to walk once—well twice if you want to count when I was a baby.
to adjust,readjust,arrange,rearrange,compromise,change,switch to Plan B,modify,and adapt while smiling.
that a kind word,telephone call,card or note can keep me going for weeks.
that I learn more when I listen than when I talk.
that positive thinking is powerful and reality checks are necessary.
that I’m the creator of the quality of my life.
that there are people who, without even knowing it, make this world a little brighter and a little nicer to be in; I’m so grateful for those who light up my life.
that “oops” is a verb.
that I should share more with you because you do care about me and are concerned about me.
I’ll end today with this:
Is it courage that enables me to go on , even though it hurts?
Is it courage that allows me to ask for help?
Is it courage that allowed me to have the cry I’ve never had, since I was diagnosed in 1989? There was a lot to let out.
Is it courage, or stubbornness, that keeps me walking, knowing that I’ve fallen many times?
I ask these questions because, lately, I’ve been told that I’m so brave. I suppose that in this thing called “courage”, which is a human emotion, can also be called getting on with life.
Courage? Hmmmmmm
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:18 pm
Sometimes it’s not easy to define courage… until one has lived it.
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Courage? Why, that’s doing what needs done, plain and simple. Ain’t something we’re born with, but something that we find - usually when we aren’t looking for it.
Me? I’ve found it in YOU, Miss Vickie.
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:35 pm
Victoria is synonymous with victory and courage, you are an inspiration to me and give me courage when I need it. You are truly a special lady and I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. I’m proud of you, having the courage to battle each day with Missy. I think I’ll start calling you Victorious
Love you!!!! *BIG HUGS*
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:56 pm
We are not born with courage, but it is something that we have to work on every day of our life. I commend you, Vickie, as you go on through your life. You are one special lady !
*HUGS*
August 2nd, 2006 at 1:40 pm
My Annie amazed me every day with her never give up attitude. Even the day before her death we were still planning our next Snowbird trip. Her body gave up on her but her spirit never did. She could have retired to her wheelchair when she was thirty if she had wanted to, but she sure would have given up a lot of life had she done that.
Courage? I guess that is one word for it. I think I would call it more a zest for life that caused her to press on even if it was harder & more uncomfortable for her than for most people. She was a wonderful lady and you sound a lot like her. Keep on pressing on. You will have a much fuller life by doing that.
August 2nd, 2006 at 5:35 pm
You are strong and brave.
I am honored to know you.
I love you!
My thoughts and prayers are with you…
Huge Hugs from the Raggedy One…
August 2nd, 2006 at 5:39 pm
I can’t find an email addy on your site.
I have your Rune reading from Monday…
you can send me an email at raggedycats@hotmail.com and I will send it to you if you want it…
huggles
August 2nd, 2006 at 7:28 pm
You are soooooo inspiring, Vickie! Well done; applause, applause, applause.
August 2nd, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Thanks for sharing Vickie. I appreciate the reality check and I feel humbled by the petty concerns that so often clutter my own mind.
August 2nd, 2006 at 8:24 pm
May I just tell you how much I love you Miss Vickie? I wish I could give you a big hug. Consider yourself getting a virtual one from me. You are a great woman. I feel privileged to “know” you. Rock on……
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:01 pm
WOW! That pretty much tells it like it is doesn’t it. Wish I could jump through the screen, grab you… give you a hug/kiss and take you out for some ice cream and a chat…and a drive…and a sunset/sunrise…and a drink…and so much more. I don’t know how you do IT. I listen/read much bettter than I talk/write too. BIG Hugs sent!
August 2nd, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Some people dont seem to be able to adapt to changes in their health, and spend the rest of their life mouning what they have lost. They have every right to grieve the loss of a level of health that they once enjoyed. But the person who wants to go on LIVING and not merely just staying alive, but trying to get the most out of life that they can, that person has courage. A drive to continue being part of the world around them.
Well written post Vicki.
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:18 am
Hello Vickie ~~ You are one very courageous lady and
To cope as well as you do is just amazing. Every good
wis to you and prayers for you. Take care, Hugs, Merle.
August 3rd, 2006 at 9:52 am
I call it being more stubborn and wanting to live life to its fullest while you can and on your terms, not Missy’s. A commendable virtue if you ask me! Stay stubborn as long as Missy will let you gf. Living life has its trials and tribulations and most will give in to them, but not you and it is why I admire you so much. You ARE special and loved by many!
(An excerpt from “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran)
And a youth said, Speak to us of Friendship.
And he answered, saying:
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger,
And you seek him for peace.
When your friend speaks his mind you fear the “nay” in your own mind,
nor do you withhold the “ay.”
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires,
all expectations are born and shared,
with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him
may be clearer in his absence,
as the mountain to the climber
is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship
save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure
of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth;
and only the unprofitable is caught.
And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb the of your tide
Let him know its flood also, for what is your friend
that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship
let there be laughter, an sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things
the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:34 pm
You are so right about not taking enough time for prayer. It’s so easy to fill out mind with stuff to keep it from being quiet. Almost like it’s too scary to hear what God’s trying to tell you in that quite time.
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:19 pm
Courage is many things and has a different face under different cirumstances.
It your case its the courage to deal with what you have and to move forth rather than lay down and wait for the end.
A hinderance is just that yu have fought and are fighting through that to come out a winner.
August 4th, 2006 at 9:25 am
One of our frequent responses to life’s simple tasks is ‘try again’. And no it’s not courageous, it’s damn courageous. Later gator.:wigglebrow:
August 4th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
I love this post, Vickie, and I think we should talk more about this at the Olive Garden!
August 4th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
Vickie,
You, mia bella amico, are the definition of courage. And you are one of the ones that make the world a little brighter.
It’s good to “hear” your “voice” again.
August 4th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
Y’know, the best any of us can do is simply the best we can. You give a good example, sugah.
Hugs.
August 5th, 2006 at 4:03 am
Hi Vickie, that post came as a bit of a reality check, we so often cruise along not thinking of the problems of others locked into our own little worlds.
Very sorry to hear yours has been getting a rough trot lately, hope that things pick up for you, as you do indeed deserve a better hand than you have been dealt.
Stay well.
August 5th, 2006 at 7:16 am
You my dear friend are such an inspiration to so many. *hugs*
Thanks for your prayers, your encouragement and your special post for me.
I am so glad Mamma B is much better, she has been in my prayers as you have.
August 5th, 2006 at 11:06 am
hello miss vickie. i have not heard from you in a while. my blog is still at the same place. come visit me some time.
i think you are loaded with courage and you have a burden to bare that the rest of us give little or no thought to. i wish you all the luck and the courage to face what you have to face each and every day. my prayers go out to you and i only wish the best for you. have a good weekend and i will talk with you soon.
August 5th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
Just checking in….
Huge Hugsssssssss
August 5th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
You sounded much better the other day.
And Sally and I need to talk about the Olive Garden…that’s my spot, too! LOL
August 6th, 2006 at 4:28 am
Huge Hugs
Have a wonderful day!
August 6th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
Hey Ms. Vickie - it’s a beautiful day here, hope it is there for you, as well. Sending much love and many hugs your way.
August 6th, 2006 at 8:03 pm
The more I read your posts, the more impressed I become of you.
…In my job, I work for an agency that provides care for the elderly. One lady, whom I clean and shop for, has a 44-year daughter with MS.
…I’m going to give her your URL so that she can read your posts. I honestly think you can be an inspiration for her. Your site will provide her with some laughs and to see how others cope when they are stricken. I also hink that it might be therapeutic for her.
August 6th, 2006 at 8:38 pm
MS is a heavy burden to bear.
My husband’s sister Wendy was diagnosed in 1996, just a few short months after his other sister’s daughter Kyra had died from a brain tumor.
She was 24 then, and unmarried with a great job doing video post-production for Lucasfilm, her name is on the credits for the re-release of the Star Wars movies.
Now she’s on disability. She relies on the kindnesses of others to try and make ends meet, she can’t afford even just her MS medications because of having to meet that Medicare deductible.
Nobody could afford the medications on disability.
But she’s got a great boyfriend who can look past her disabilities and a great attitude, and like you, she just keeps pushing the envelope of what she can do. She travels with her boyfriend whenever she gets the chance.
I have a dear friend who is a paraplegic, she was paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident when she was 23.
She also has really made something out of her life, she raises and trains horses in addition to her day job. She told me a while ago that she thought MS was much more difficult than being paralyzed, because even though she can’t move her legs, she has plenty of energy and she pretty knows how she’s going to feel from day to day.
MS is an exercise in uncertainty.
I admire your attitude and your perseverance in the face of the hand you’ve been dealt.
August 7th, 2006 at 1:45 am
The rudyard kipling poem/short story *IF* pours out what courage is…. YOU sweet southern belle miss vickie are a living active demonstration of courage in action step by step moment by moment being realistic as well as positive thank you for sharing your life so fully miss vickie!!!
August 7th, 2006 at 2:53 am
I left a wish for you at my place.
Have a wonderful day!
*^_^
(=’:'=) hugs
(”)_ (”)Š from da Raggedy one
August 7th, 2006 at 5:00 am
If you so wish to stop the sneeze that is about to fully materialize, press that space between the upper lip and right below the nose with a finger. It really does work. You will be safe.
All’s well, Vicky. You are teaching us this one, that all’s well.
Thank you for reminding us, dear friend.
Enjoy your good days…and make the other ones good, too.
August 7th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
I certainly can’t pretend to know what it is like to live with MS, but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Hang in there, Miss Vickie. You are too spunky to kick in the towel.
August 7th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
Blessings to you my lovely friend today and always I send love and smiles across the miles.
Love Jeanne
Ontario Canada!
August 7th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
This was a very beautiful post. I lost two very dear friends to “Missy” I’m sad to say, and have a friend who is now working thru it; I must send her your blog for encouragement. It inspired me. thank you.