The word of the year....

is PEACE.  I am not one to make resolutions.  I have never been one to do that.  But, a friend in a support group encouraged us all to choose one word to guide us through our year ahead.  Something that we cherish.  Something within our ability to accomplish.  Many words were listed, like joy, stamina, communication, hope, fearlessness.  Mine is peace.  When I feel peaceful, I can endure the discomfort of my body-vessel with far more ease and compassion and understanding than when I lack peace.  Without peace, anxiety creeps in.  With anxiety, fear.  And fear just opens the door to depression.  And depression is just a liar.  It tries to make me believe what I know to be untrue.  And it is very clever and many times is successful in its venture.  So, I aim to hold on to my peace.  Not let it slip or be stolen away by people,  by circumstance, by situation, by symptoms.  For that to be my priority, to take care of my peace.  Like in Home Economics class in the 7th grade, when we got eggs to care for..... so will my peace be cared for.  This is my promise to myself.

I have a full week of physical testing in front of me next week.  Also, I am now wearing braces on both my knees, which is a new thing for me.  When I take the braces off, the pain in them is just white hot.  Both feel very much like if they bend too far, something is going to snap.  I have an appointment with a doctor on Tuesday to have them seen to and assessed.  It's interesting that no matter how many different symptoms I live with constantly, new ones still alarm me.  This is one I will go get attention for.

I have gone for a full month without using any prescription migraine abortive.  The first time ever I have written that sentence.  During December, I did get some headaches.  A few times, I took Excedrin Migraine and it helped.  A few other times, I used peppermint oil, sunglasses, and a cold frogg towel, which worked to help.  Twice they were so bad that I did have to pull myself out of life, and retreat to darkness to wait it out and pray for sleep.  Only twice.  All the other ones were bearable.  Even when the remedies didn't help to decimate them all the way, they didn't get so bad that I had to remove myself from my activities to endure them.  I have tried something new and herbal called Migraine Stop which is a specially formulated magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier.  Both times  it worked.   The blessing it is to live without migraines cannot be understated, and I recognize the lack of head pain and thank God for it every time I think to.

May we all look toward the New Year as an opportunity to be the kind of people we were designed to be.  My tea bag this morning was meant especially for this day.  And I am taking on the challenge.

Grateful for the combination of details that make my life so easy and comfortable.  Fresh, available, abundant food and water.  A safe, secure structure to live inside.  Electricity to make life fun, easy, comfortable, the cool air in summer and heat in winter.  Plumbing, so our streets don't run with raw sewage like some areas in this world.  Access to medicines.  And simple faith.  Because faith is really the simplest of all things.  You just step off the cliff.  Grateful for my faith.  

Have happy happy happy days all.  Let's all be LIGHTHOUSES!!!!!