Ten Things of Thankful

This week I am feeling Battle Weary.  Fibromyalgia is the biggest battle I have had to ever fight.  Add the stress of the Christmas Season and a Melt Down is bound to happen sooner or later. It always seems that there is an emotional hangover the next day. So that is where I am today.

Dad and JP having Ice Cream

I have a son who is disabled and he needs full care(24/7) I am thankful for the help that JP’s Caregiver provides.  Its not enough yet I am lucky for the hours I receive. She has been with us for 3+ years.  It is the first consistent Caregiver we have ever had for JP.  I am thankful God brought her into our lives.

My Husband and my Son

Having someone in the family with a chronic pain disorder is very hard on the spouse.  Also the children.  One day we can be perfectly fine and the next day be in so much pain we are unable to complete our Basic Living Skills.  The other thing that is really difficult is people with Fibromyalgia get what the Doctors aptly call Brain Fog.  What Brain Fog entails, short term memory loss, and a sort of aphasia.  It is something that lately has really affected me.  Of course it all rolls over to my Husband.  It affects him.  He worries about me and a lot of times he does not know what to do.  It has to be hard.  I am so so Thankful for my Husband and his faithfulness to me and our family.  I’m Thankful for how he cares for JP.  He is a special man.

My DIL and me in Hawaii day after her marrying my son.

I am Thankful for my DIL. She is the most amazing woman that could have come into our family.  As a child on to adulthood, I have prayed and prayed that I could have a DIL that could and would be willing to be my daughter.  Story Short she has become a very close to me and is more than just a daughter now she is a friend.  A true friend.  I Thank God for this relationship over and over and am so grateful for this blessing.

People who have Fibromyalgia seem to as a rule have more pain in the extreme cold.  For me my muscles always seem to be tight.  In the winter because of the cold they tighten further.  This causes a lot of stress on my joints.  So I have muscle pain as well as joint pain.  I am Thankful that even though I have the above pain I am still able to walk close to 4 miles three to 4 times a week.  It does help to keep my muscles a bit looser which decreases pain level to a tolerable level.  I am also Thankful for my very very close friend.  She puts up with me wherever I am and the mistakes I make. Whether Im happy or a b#*!h. She deals with my FM even though she doesn’t understand it fully.  Im so lucky. She also is my walking partner.  She gets me up and going even when I don’t feel like it.

I am Thankful for a roof over my head.  Many years ago when I went to Mexico I saw many people living out of cardboard boxes or corrugated metal leaning up against each other to form one small room.  Sand for a floor.  I was about 17 years old and it was my first experience of seeing how poor people must live.  It made me grateful very fast.

I am also Thankful that I was able to take a hot shower today.  There are those who live without running water or the homeless who do not really have any water at all.

Let me know how you are feeling this week and what you are Thankful for.