Words from the Heart

There have been times in the lives of people with silent diseases, illnesses, or syndromes when they have heard, "You're sick, again?" in a tone that lets them know that the person speaking these words is done. They can come from family, friends or from those at work. How can you respond to this? First, let me say that hearing this is like someone running their nails down a blackboard. If a person with a silent illness hears this regularly, it can cause emotional and mental stress, which then leads to a host of other issues. Having someone to talk, someone who understands the condition as well as your history, is key to staying on an even keel. Additionally, knowing how to respond, what to say and how to explain your condition so that others can understand is very important. This takes courage. Too many of us simply shut down. We either walk away, give some cursory answer that does nothing to enlighten the speaker of the irritating words, or explode from pent up ...

My decision to write a post about fibromyalgia isn't to start a pity party. I am writing in the hopes that this will bring some awareness to how conditions such as fibromyalgia, MS,  endometriosis , migraine and a host of other disease/conditions are not obvious. The victim doesn't "look" ill, and yet, they may be doing all they can to put one foot in front of the other without screaming. I have fibromyalgia. This was diagnosed close to 25 years ago after years of being in pain and having mysterious symptoms that the medical field could not diagnose. When I was given the diagnosis two things happened.  First, I began learning everything I could about this condition and how to keep it from taking over my life. Second, I promised myself I would not let this condition get in my way. I will tell you, this has not been easy.  For years, I was told I was either lying about my pain to seek attention or I was a    hypochondriac .  I am neither.  ...

There are certain things as a teacher that I can't help doing. I knew these things for years before I got my teaching degree, but in taking coursework to get my M.Ed., what I knew was affirmed.   I knew that being kind was essential to having a life that was truly successful. Kindness was one of the easiest things you can give to others. I learned that to lead well a person must be willing to share - share the work, share the praise, and share the bounty. However, he or she also needs to take responsibility, which means that "the buck stops here." When there is fault to be found, a good leader takes responsibility for what has gone wrong and does not pass it on to others, even when they may also be at fault. One of the most important things I learned, though, was to always question. By questioning, we learn. Therefore, I try not to take things at face value. I ask myself a series of questions.  Who said/did that? What was it that they said or did? W...