Without going into great detail, my family and I have been dealing with my brother who has a serious health issue. In the last few weeks my family has been exposed to many emotions including grief, fear, disbelief, frustration, anger,sadness and a sense of helplesness.
I needed to "talk" to someone about this situation, and I reached out to our precious Sally. I was able to give her some of the details of what we were dealing with, and Sally was able to offer me support and comfort through private emails, and an occasional "chat session" via ICQ.
Yesterday, around lunchtime, I was in dispair as my beloved brother was admitted to hospital for the 3rd time in two weeks. Sally had read my messages,and did something that I will always cherish.....she reached out to me in friendship and support via the telephone.
I cannot describe the joy and comfort I felt from that call, and the thrill of hearing her voice! I wanted to publicly thank Sally for her friendship and support, it is worth far more than a pot of gold!
One of the things we talked about was, of-course the board and it's importance. By remaining open and honest our experiences are recorded here and reach out to those in need over and over again. We have all experienced that funny feeling of joy and sorrow as we discover this site, and then read the many tragic stories on the quilt. We then realise that we are not alone, and we find a countless number of new friends to help us cope with the physical and mental challenges we face each day living with ARD.
Another important and obvious role of this message board is knowledge. We are able to discuss many issues related to this disease, gain valuable information and we are then empowered to take better control of our treatment.
So once again to dear sweet Sally......thank you from the bottom of my heart for making that call, I will never forget it. You are always in my thoughts and prayers, my wish for you is a less painful future so that you can resume the joy and satisfaction of owning and loving your beautiful ranch and family (including your chocolate Llama!!!).
sincere Love, hugs & cheers
your Aussie mate, Jo ;-)
-- Positive AffirmationSay this with your hands above your head (victory style) and repeat three times: I'm Alive I'm Alert I'm a LOT of fun!!
That should get you smiling!