A good friend, Cathy Chester, found words that start with the letters from Happy New Year that expressed her thoughts (http://www.anempoweredspirit.com/how-to-see-good-in-world-2016/)

I like writing a poem that starts with the letters to express mine. Here’s one:

H appy times that were joyful seem past,
A blaze with cheer, memories shine brightly,
P raiseworthy, contrasting with the grief-laden
P ain that blooms from the diseases we carry.
Y outh was full of delight, ignorant of our future.

N ourish our souls with new joys,
E ven when we cannot repeat the past,
W e can stand together, and when we do,

Y ears of pain will drop away,
E ncircled with love that shines from each heart,
A glow with warmth, respect and friendship.
R ejoice! The new year gleams, radiating hope!

© Kit Minden

Getting the wheelchair from Karen Goins was amazing! First, it was great to meet Karen and her husband, Larry, and mother-in-law, Anna. They are all incredibly nice people. We spent an hour or two cruising around a Michael’s store in Williamsburg. Karen was looking for some pens to use on adult coloring books. It was so much fun to be able to move around the aisles on my own, and to hang out with Karen. She’s great!

Butterflies represent people with MS. We are each as beautiful.

(http://michellezelli.com/blog/10-adult-coloring-books-to-help-you-de-stress-and-self-express/)


Larry showed my husband all he needed to know about the wheelchair. The two of them swapped some NASA stories, too. A great guy!


One of the things I wasn’t expecting was how great it was to be with someone who was a lot like me from multiple sclerosis (MS). Because of the way we were both impacted I found myself grinning from ear-to-ear and laughing! I didn’t know what I was missing, not being with people who can understand. I could be a person without having to prove anything. I just was me! It was the best feeling!

Here’s a pic of Karen and I in our wheelchairs. Thank you, Karen! You made my year!!

Today is exciting for two reasons. The main reason is that I get to meet one of the great gals from Living for a Cure, Karen Goins. She is an artist who lives in Virginia Beach. She has so kindly shared her love of art with me, sending me supplies so I could learn some of her craft when I needed a boost. She’s really dynamic! The second reason I am excited is that Karen is giving me another goodie to help me with the limits imposed by multiple sclerosis (MS). She is giving me a folding power wheelchair! Karen bought a chair a few months ago and took it on a Delta Airlines flight when she went travelling. Unfortunately, the wheelchair was damaged. Delta stepped up and bought her a brand new chair. Amazing company! When the repairman came by to pick up the damaged chair, Karen told him that I was about to fundraise for the same wheelchair. He told he to just give me that one! Can you believe it? Karen said all it needs is a screw and it will be as good as new now! I am awed and stunned and amazed, and so grateful.

Today, my husband is driving me to Williamsburg, about halfway to Karen’s, to meet her and to get the chair. Incredible! It’s an Easy Light and here’s the link to the company’s website http://www.ezlitecruiser.com/ I have to say that I don’t really feel ready to meet anyone. Medicine I took made my teeth break... My hands won’t work to put earrings in my ears… My husband’s teeth need major work, too.

We are just starting to get on top of things financially. I am working as a tutor and tech writer and my income is beginning to rise. It won’t be until later this year that I can afford to get our teeth fixed. My husband’s income is that of a retired guy. He is a disabled American veteran and is limited by arthritis and diabetes and the Agent Orange impact from Vietnam. Getting us up and over the hump financially is up to me. So, embarrassed as I am to meet anyone from our gang, I am going anyway. I need the wheelchair, but more than that, I want to meet this wonderful woman, Karen Goins. What could be better than that! I’ll get pics if I can and post more this evening or tomorrow so keep an eye out for more news on the chair and on our meeting. (The friendship plaque is from(http://wallpapersblog.com/cool-friendship-hd-wallpapers.html)

Blogging Again Despite Fatigue

I want to start writing a blog again. Working took all my energy last year and I stopped writing. Do you know how fatigue does that? Having several autoimmune diseases, fatigue is something I deal with every day.

One way that people think about fatigue is using the Spoon Theory by Christine Miserndino (https://youtu.be/jn5IBsm49Rk). The theory says imagine you have a spoon for each piece of energy you will use during the day. In this case, imagine you have 12 spoons, each representing a 12^th of what you can accomplish in the day to come. Then, plan your day by distributing each spoon to each activity. When your spoons are used up, your day will be done.

  

If I have to tutor or do technical writing, I am going to use up almost every bit of energy or spoon that I have. I even take caffeine pills to make it through without nodding off, and I take one for each student’s session. (I take bicarb with it to absorb the acidity.) When I am done tutoring, I come home, change into comfortable clothes, and take a nap. Sometimes, I have to tutor instead of nap and then I have to take another caffeine tablet.

It has been worth it, though it has been hard. Last December, I had to borrow the rent from my brother and sister. This year, I will not have to borrow any money. I am working more hours each month. I even won an award for being a great tutor!

I am able to do this – to get this much better even with the Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS) that I have, because I take Protandim. It’s a tablet that is a combination of 5 herbs. It protects my brain and fights MS for me. It’s wonderful!

How are you coping with fatigue? Are you able to work at all?