Thought for today...

I'm just putting this out there...

How many of you thought you'd be such a strong fighter when you grew up??

I am...

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking lately about re-starting this blog and the corresponding FB page. But I have been struggling for so long with the idea of pasting that label on me and on my life. I am SO much more than my medical diagnosis. I am so many things to so many different people.

I am a Christian Woman, I am a Wife, I am a Mama, I am a Friend, I am a sister, I am a daughter, I am an aunt, I am a co-worker, I am an employee, I am a Working Mom, I am a Fibro Warrior, I am a Paralegal, I am a Procrastinator, I am a Fighter, I am a Lover, I am Loyal, I am Caring, I am a former classmate, I am a college graduate, I am a Woman…I am enough.

I could go on and on (as could we all) with the different roles, titles, labels, etc. that life has given me. But really, what matters is who am I to me? Who do I believe myself to be? I heard something recently that really stood out to me. None of us are to others who we perceive ourselves to be. Every single person we encounter in this world sees us different. What matters is what we do, how we live our lives that helps each person shape who we are to them.

The events of our lives shape us into the people we become. Each event, each person we meet, each struggle we go through, each success, each moment of joy makes us into the person we are today. So, what are the struggles, the joys, the moments of success, the moments of heartache that have brought me here today? That’s a little of what I’ll share with you, but really, what I hope to do is to bring to each person willing to read, listen, pay attention to what I have to say, is a smile, an inspiration, knowing you’re not in this life alone, that someone else thinks that “adulting is tough today” or that with the support of those around us, we can, we will, see joy in the little things, sing praises and build each other up to be the person that each of us sees ourselves as – fill in the blank:
I am ____________________.

Sunshine

Hello from the frozen tundra of the Midwest! Okay...yes, I know, it's April 25th, but it was only a couple days ago that I woke up to a completely white world again. This year Old Man Winter has just clung on for dear life and not wanted to let go so Spring could come save all of us who are desperate for sunshine and warm weather! From what the weather people are telling us, Spring - and with it, warm weather - is finally on its way!

Now, I know many people out there do suffer from increased Fibro symptoms with the cold, so those who live in the midwest (and anywhere else that Spring has been delayed) are likely looking at the forecasts with big grins for the upcoming week.

We're so excited for the warm weather, that my husband is already making plans for us to meet up with friends at a local restaurant that has a nice patio for this weekend - while I'm just excited for the warmth of the sun and the relief it seems to bring to the fatigue and achy muscles of Fibro. But, before I went running for the fields to get my unobstructed dose of sunshine, I did a little looking online to see what the medical experts have to say about the subject. I found an article at Health.com entitled: Can the Sunshine Vitamin Ease Fibromyalgia Pain? It was interesting to find out that, there is actually some evidence that people with Fibro tend to have lower levels of Vitamin D...which is why so many of us feel so "good" when we are able to take in a good dose of Sunshine! BUT, remember, too much sun can be bad too...so dig out the sunblock, the shades, flip-flops and tank tops - warm weather is on it's way!