Dreams

I am a whole person.

Sure, I have a chronic illness that truly sucks, but I am a whole person with huge dreams.

Big dreams that reach beyond the stars and that sing of joy.

Many people find their way to my journal because they type in the words:

Multiple Sclerosis

in google or in blog search and low and behold there I am....

But I am not my illness alone. Or only. Or simply.

I did not invent the phrase "I have MS; it does not have me;" however, I strive to live it which is why not every single entry you find in my blog is ABOUT MS. My journey with this illness is not an all inclusive trip. I am living a-la-cart instead...More like real life is. Human beings are never just one thing only, we are a combination of all things.

We are the bully who picked on us in grade school. (Or we were the bully.)

We are mothers, fathers and children.

We are brothers, sisters and parents.

We are only children and part of large families.

We are workers and vacationers.

We are happy and sad.

We are our hopes for ourselves and our own disappointments.

We are growth and dying.

We are loving and seething hatefulness.

Being human is messy work and not easy to put into one little box, not simple to label.

I am not merely a woman with MS and yet that is a part of who I am.

Really, if I had to answer who am I, I would say I am my Mother's daughter. True to myself and loving to all. Overjoyed to be alive yet another year to say:

Mother, you are the very best of women. You have taught me grace and dignity. Taught me to walk with humility and pride, to speak with love and truth. Your pure heart has always been the beacon of light that has been my lighthouse of hope. My port in many storms.

Congratulation on being a non-smoker in Pam's honor.

Happy birthday today, Mom!