Rick on September 30th, 2007

It’s Sunday.  How will you make it a “day of rest”? What does “rest” mean in your busy world? Does rest mean you had a good night’s sleep?  Does it mean you slept long enough to wake up refreshed and without bags under your eyes? We usually think of rest in terms of our physical […]

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Rick on September 28th, 2007

You may feel like it sometimes, but being an MS caregiver does not endanger one’s sanity. In fact, as a caregiver, you probably have no more reason to worry about your sanity than any other person. I’ll explain why after I share a summary of a 2001 abstract I’ve just read titled, “Being a Multiple […]

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Rick on September 24th, 2007

A friend told me yesterday he had seen my wife in a local store and “she looked good.” I agreed, “Yes, she does look good!” I embarrassed him a little so he clarified it a bit, “I mean she looks like she’s getting along well.” Of course few see her when she’s not getting along […]

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Rick on September 23rd, 2007

It’s Sunday. In the medical literature one frequently reads, “there is no cure for Multiple Sclerosis.” So, do you pray your loved one will be cured? Or do you pray the disease process will be kind? Do you pray for a long time between relapses? Do you pray for courage as you face a foreboding […]

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Rick on September 22nd, 2007

I remember reading the cartoon book, “Good Grief, Charlie Brown”, when I was a child. The phrase, “good grief,” grabbed my attention. What did it mean? I knew grief was what one experienced when someone died. At the time I didn’t imagine that could be good. One lives long enough and learns that grief really […]

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Rick on September 21st, 2007

“I don’t remember if I took the medicine to help me remember things,” my wife told me last night, “so I didn’t take it in case I already did.” This morning I’ve searched the Internet for a way to organize her medications which will make it obvious for her that she has taken them or […]

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Rick on September 20th, 2007

The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) is an international organization which links the activities of national MS societies around the world. A growing series of publications is a free resource for people with MS, their caregivers, medical professionals and MS support groups. The series addresses the broad spectrum of issues related to living with Multiple […]

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Rick on September 19th, 2007

Ignore this post. It contains the code required for me to claim this blog on Technorati. Let’s see if it works … Technorati Profile

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Rick on September 19th, 2007

Getting the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis took too long from the time my wife first talked to her primary care physician about the intense headaches and shaking hands until the second neurologist completed his testing and gave us the diagnosis. The medical tests were frustrating, the feedback came too slowly, and living in a small […]

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Rick on September 18th, 2007

Sometimes it really is the little things that make it easier for an MS patient. Think about a door knob. Door knobs are simple and elegant in design. One simply squeezes the knob and turns it. If one has a good grip, that is. Without a firm grip, door knobs can be frustrating. Replacing the […]

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Rick on September 16th, 2007

It’s Sunday! The New Testament is full of examples of the Apostle Paul’s physical ailments. I remember hearing of his “thorn in the flesh” when I was a child. There wasn’t much for a first grader to do in south Texas in the 60’s. I liked to break the prickles off my mom’s roses and […]

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No thinking adult truly expects life is fair. Most of us grow past that fantasy during adolescence. Even so, there lives deep in our hearts the desire that life be fair. And when it’s not, we ache for what “should” be. Unfortunately, if we focus so much on what “should be” we miss the joy […]

Continue reading about Discovering the Joy in What Is Beats Aching for What Might have Been

Rick on September 13th, 2007

A red indicator light appeared on the instrument panel. It said, “Oil”. I slowed down a little. I knew there was a gas station at the top of the hill and when the warning light lit up I thought, “I can make it to the top of the hill and get oil at the station.” […]

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Rick on September 12th, 2007

I was working in a closet filled with network hardware and cables when my cell phone vibrated on my hip. I answered and heard my 8 year old daughter say, “Daddy, Mommy fell and is bleeding on her head.” “Is she okay? How bad is she bleeding, Sweetie?” I ran to the stairs. “Sissy is […]

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Rick on September 11th, 2007

Six New Dawn roses cover a pergola I built for my wife a few years before her MS diagnosis. If I had known then what we know now, I would have built it much closer to the house. My wife loves roses and living out of town as we do, we have a yard large […]

Continue reading about Over-watered Roses Do Not Thrive