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I Am Sad, But Choosing Defiant Joy

October 15, 2011 By 24 Comments
tears

Tears are sitting on the edge of my eyes. Filling. . . filling. I wipe it fast before my son sees me. I have a friend who is having a fun Saturday morning get together right now. 10 AM. A morning with the gals. A "retiring from 9-5" party for someone starting her own business. I should be there. Rheumatoid arthritis keeps getting in the way. Everything within me is sitting beneath the surface, ready to erupt grief, frustration, anger, sorrow. My husband has been snoring for years, worse all the time. Gasping for breath. He finally fills out the paperwork for a sleep study. A rep drops off the gadget he should wear at night. "I will be back tomorrow morning to pick it up," he says. But that night I tell my husband it's not a good … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Founder's Blog, Joy, Loneliness, This is Me, What's New? Tagged With: , , , ,

Healing Words

August 22, 2011 By 6 Comments
carefree

Deanna Nichols "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." -Proverbs 12:18 Yesterday I had a great conversation with a health and fitness coach with whom I recently started working. Not only did she give me some great ideas to work toward my personal goals, but I also found myself leaving the conversation with a lot more hope than I've felt in a long time. It's interesting I should be so hopeful because I'm really having a tough time physically right now. And we also spent a fair amount of time discussing my past history of chronic illness, a topic that usually drains me and makes me sad. Instead, she was able to focus on the accomplishments I've made in the past two years toward a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Joy, Reflection, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Joy of Laughter — Even When It’s At Yourself!

June 1, 2011 By 5 Comments
silly-glasses

By Tami Nantz "There is a time for everything. . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." (Ecclesiastes 3:1a, 4) My sweet mama was one of the funniest people I've ever known. Her battle with rheumatoid arthritis began suddenly at the young age of thirty, when I was just four years old. I don't remember a time in my life when she was without pain. Within just a few years of diagnosis, she began to have surgeries. First, to replace her right hip, then her left knee, then her toes. She knew what it meant to suffer physically. Yet, one of the things I most admired about my mom was her determination to thrive, to be happy in spite of her circumstances, her determination to truly live. Tim Hansel wrote … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Coping Skills, Joy, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Crutches Don’t Have To Be Depressing! An Amazing Story

May 26, 2011 By 1 Comment
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Debbie Farmer "LemonAid Crutches"(TM) is the first company to create lovely designer crutches in rich, vivid colors and gorgeous, expressive fabrics. Being on crutches can be a sad, depressing experience, but this store makes it a bit more enjoyable and a whole lot more cheerful. On the LemonAid Crutches (TM) web site it shares, "No one wants to be on crutches. They hurt your hands, they hurt your arms and they certainly hurt your sense of style. Many have tried to tackle the challenge of adding comfort to an uncomfortable item, but duct tape and washcloths look…well…tacky. That's why we created designer crutch-wear that's not only comfortable, but fun and fabulous looking." Founder Laurie Johnson's personal testimony to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Hobbies, Joy, Links, Our Best Tips, Person w/ Illness, Tools, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Author Interview: Finding The Light of Jesus Author Shares How We All Need God’s Love

May 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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By Debbie Farmer I recently had the blessed experience of chatting briefly with book author Cindy Tuttle, who has written "Joining in the Dance of Life" and recently released "Finding the Light of Jesus" both available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. I feel privileged to share this interview with you about her new book. Cindy, please tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to write "Finding the Light of Jesus." Thank you, Debbi, for letting me share "The Light of Jesus" with you. I have been honored to have worked with people with severe mental illness for over twenty-five years. I've also worked with adults and children who were profoundly retarded and people who are elderly living in long term care hospitals. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Books, Joy, Profiles, What's New? Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

“The Patch” – How God Used a Childhood Experience To Change My Opinion of Nursing Homes

April 24, 2011 By 4 Comments
hallway

By Carol Gray I have hated nursing homes ever since I toured one as a girl scout in 1978. It was difficult being an eight-year-old girl walking the hallways, passing rooms of the dying. I wondered, did I actually sign up for this? Did I really bring home a permission slip for this field trip? What was the sales-pitch by the scout master, oh yeah, I would get a patch…those darn patches! The "Service and Citizenship" patch would be the reward for entertaining the elderly for the day. I remember thinking that most of them did not look at us with sentiment, only desperation; as if they wanted us to help them escape the inevitable. How depressing. I took that patch and hid it away in my drawer hoping to forget about the entire … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Caregiver, Caregiving, Joy, Support Group Leader Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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