Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Tiny Suitcases

We are participating in the MS walk on April 5th in Homewood, AL. I guess I have always somewhat supported people who take on these walks. For the most part, they are fun. You get to be around great friends, and you get to support a cause.

For me, this walk will be the starting point for my never-ending support and push to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.

Josh and I starting dating April 20, 2004. We knew each other before that date, but that is the official date we went off the market. We have been through a ton of events together...Weddings, Births, Buying/Selling houses, New jobs, the loss of loved ones... the list could go on and on. I like to think of these things as tiny suitcases that go along with us. Some events might even be considered "baggage," while others are just experiences we collect along this journey with each other.

When I lost my parents to cancer, I always looked to Josh for support. He is the one who is always there, strong and willing to take on anything with me. I think when he was diagnosed, the fact that he is the one that is "sick" has really shaken me.

In conversations, I have often said to him in responses... "because you are sick." His response is always- "Lori, I am not sick. I just have MS." This my friends is a great way to look at having something like Multiple Sclerosis. If you let things like MS and other illnesses/obstacles define you, then you will become a victim to the diagnosis. BUT I like to look at it as one more suitcase to carry with us on our journey. The less time we focus on being restrained by MS, the less the baggage weighs. I refuse to load my MS suitcase with worry, statistics, and what ifs. Instead, I am choosing to pack hope, courage, prayers, and all the things that I can to combat MS. One day, hopefully, I will pack a cure in that suitcase, and our MS suitcase will get lost in the baggage claim. :)

Happy Hump Day!
Lori

2 comments:

  1. Just discovering your blog and enjoying your good writing. Love the idea of little suitcases traveling along with you. It's a great way to look at MS and how to live alongside it. You're right, you can't travel without it, but don't want it weighed down unnecessarily. Maybe I just haven't read where you share it, but wondering what "from MS" means...do/did you have a parent with MS?

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    1. I am from Mississippi! MS is new to us. I have a first cousin who has MS, but on Josh's side of the family, he is the first (and only one we know of) with MS.

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