What is greatness?

What does it mean to be a great person? There are probably many components, many elements of character, that could be listed as defining a great person. I think that greatness exists in more living beings than we recognize. I think there is greatness in the affection of a parent towards their child, a friend […]

Resilience. My best friend. 

Resilience has been a rejuvenating concept for me in recent months. When I think of resilience I think of flexibility.  Life with MS has thrown many unexpected situations into my world.  Resilience is that solid framework I build coping mechanisms upon. Being resilient allows rom for the flexibility to modulate response. Resilience means seeing a […]

Love Story

My son came home a year ago last July.  He had gone missing, and every phone call from an unknown number, every news story about an unidentified body that had been found and every account of someone killed in a police confrontation made my heart race. In the months and weeks before we parted ways, my […]

Sunday morning, obviously 

Of every other day of the week, Sunday should really smell like bacon and coffee.  Really.  About a year ago, I let go of my frantic grasping of vegetarian eating with the startling realization that even adherence to that noble gastric discipline takes lives.  This morning I stand quietly in my kitchen peeling the wrapping […]

Dear Terrorist

I woke up this morning thinking of you, so I thought I would drop you a line.  I write to you not knowing who you are or where you are so how to reach you is unclear. I imagine you are young.  I am a grandmother.  I hope this is not a deterrent to you […]

Right Here Right Now

Accepting things as they are is not as easy as it might seem. When friends or family do not behave as we desire them to, the reaction felt in response is generally unpleasant. Frustration and anger coupled with disappointment flavor the minutes, hours, and perhaps even years. Learning to accept adversity is not the same […]

Like a river

Put your mind at ease.  Life will not leave you behind.  In fact, unless you are anchored somewhere life might just take you on a joy ride down the river without a life jacket or a paddle.  Maybe a joy ride every now and then is not a bad idea, but as a way of […]

August 3, 2015 – Goodbye Jeanine

What is loss really about?  Is it the experience of being deprived of any number of possessions or personal relationships?  Does loss spur the beast of addiction to run full speed towards destruction?  Exhaustive effort can be spent clinging to places and people, afraid of losing that semblance of security even when the reality is […]