JoJo's Land!

Mood: Great!
Listening to: The drone of the TV and the kids giggling (they are supposed to be sleeping!)

Dear All,

I am trying to figure out all of the things I can do with this site.  My son helped me with the picture.  Neat, huh?  Please bear with me as I figure out how to do the things everybody seems to already know how to do.   .   .like put up links and stuff.

To my one and only commentator:  I say 'God bless ya!'  Caregiving is hard work.  Not enough of you around.

I have a small list that I wrote for myself some years ago.  It is dated for September the 5th, 2001.  I was newly ill and newly disabled and newly scared.  This is a list of all the things I had hoped to do again one day.  How many of these things do you take for granted?

Things I hope to do again one day:

Get well!  Swim with the dolphins.  (yea, I know.)  Drive my car.  Garden again.  Move up North.  Get really good at making teddy bears.  Go on a walk with my family.  Ride a bike.  Clean my own home.  Take a shower by myself.  Walk along the beach by myself.  Cook a meal for my family---and enjoy it with them.  Lose 100lbs.  Run out from the rain.  Go swimming by myself.  Go yard-sailing again.  Run away from a big scary bug---or at least be able to give it a good swat or two.  Go to the bathroom by myself.   Go on a walk by myself.  Give my kids and husband a hug.  Pick up my cat.  Take the dog for a walk by myself.  Walk in beautiful country in a REAL Autumn.  (I really miss the seasons, especially Autumn.)

As you can see, there is nothing especially grand here on this little list.  But when you can't do those things, life can be really hard.  I am happy to say that I am now able to do most of the things on that list.  I haven't finished and I am still working on a few things.  I will get there.

I am one of the lucky ones.  Not everyone can get out of a wheelchair once they've been in one.  There are plenty of people that are permanently disabled for one reason or another.  A friend of mine in Seattle often says, "One wrong turn and you too could be pushing wheels."  He is right.

I am going to pretend that I have a lot of interested readers out there and to all of you I would ask that you consider making a donation to an organization like the MDA.  They do good work and often at no expense to the patients.  The MDA telethon is coming up soon and could use the donations.  Most of your bucks stays locally.  This organization covers more than 40 neuromuscular diseases, many of the patients are just children.  The MDA is dedicated to finding cures and they have had a hand in my own fight.  Just consider it.

Peace All,

the DragonLady

Mood: Good.
Listening to: Josh Groban

Dear All,

This is my second 'blog' site.  I am attempting to figure out which one I like more as I navigate through the world of 'blog'.  This one appears to be much easier to use.   I can always use 'easy'.

I like to write.  Some people actually think I can write well.I've a few things worth sharing.  One of my eventual goals is to be an advocate for those with disabilities.  I would like to take advantage of the current fascination with 'blogging' to do this.

I am a fairly opinionated individual.  It certainly does not mean that I am right all of the time and I really enjoy hearing other people's opinions on just about any subject.  However, to those individuals who would be rude and obnoxious, I won't give you a second thought as I hit that little 'delete' button.  I REALLY like that button.

Right now, this site is basically empty.  I will eventually fill it in and build it up  a little at a time with little details of my life that may or may not be of interest to you.  Right now, my family is amazed I have managed this much.  Actually, I am too.  Technology and I are often at odds with each other.

ABOUT ME:

I am 43 years old.  I've been married for 23 years.  I have four wonderful kids, one of whom is now serving in Iraq.  I like music more than I like television.  I enjoy crafts, writing, and drawing.  I have also dealt with a life-altering illness that nearly killed me and took away most of my dignity.  Right now, I am apparently in a remission and have gotten most of my strength and independence back.  I realize how lucky I am.  Three years ago, I was chair-bound and bed-bound and completely dependent on my family.  My husband took care of me the most.  To all of you caretakers out there, I say "God bless ya'!"

Peace All,

the DragonLady