A little advice for the holidays.....from someone who's been there

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and many blessings in 2014! 

I know this may be a very difficult season for many of you who are sick with Lyme disease.  It's such a busy time of year.....shopping, baking, hosting, cooking, visiting.....and some of you are just not able to do it.  The fatigue of Lyme can be crushing.....I do remember!  So, let others do the work for you, and do what you can to find some enjoyment in the season, and in visiting with others.  It's good for the soul to be with others.

Perhaps friends could visit in short spurts over the holidays.  Maybe they could bring a meal that you can all share together.  When I was sick, one of my friends brought a lasagna meal, and we all ate together.  I sat at the table with a blanket around me because I was so cold, and I enjoyed the stories told.  I felt so horrible, physically, but the companionship was wonderful. 

Watch some Christmas movies as a family, and even though you are sick, try to cultivate that family togetherness that your children are craving at this time of year especially.....even if all you can do is lie on the couch.  Invite your little ones to snuggle up with you; after all, it's you they want, not things.

Try very hard to not worry about how all of this is affecting your young family.  Children are so resilient, and they adapt to new situations.  My kids have seen it all in their young lives.....believe me.....from Daddy in the hospital with no hair and 50 staples in his scalp, to Mommy and Daddy both being carted off in an ambulance while police babysat them until Grandma and Grandpa could arrive.....to Mommy being unable to cook, clean, or care for them in the usual ways.  (You can read our whole story here.)
 
With my husband and I both seriously ill at various times for 10 years, one might think that the children would be scarred for life.  This is not true.  If anything, it has made them empathetic and sensitive.  It has shown them the importance of service to others in difficult times, for we certainly had our share of help over the years.  It has shown them the meaning of family when their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins came to help in our times of need.  It has shown them how God cares for us and carries us through the valleys of our lives.  Our kids have continued to thrive, do well in school, and be well-adjusted kids, all in all. 

Just continue to do what you can to show love to your children!  Snuggle, read them a book, watch a movie with them.  Even though you are not feeling well, just give them that reassurance that they are loved, and use this situation as a learning opportunity to prepare them for the inevitable valleys they will walk through in life.

I would like to finish off here by sharing a beautiful song with you by award-winning Christian artist Natalie Grant.  Oh my!  This song has touched my heart so much in the past few weeks and I hope it will touch yours.  It reminds us that as Christians, we have HOPE, and this hope endures even through dark times.  And this hope is not just an optimism, but it is the hope of knowing Christ, and knowing that He promises to be with us throughout our lives, in good times and bad.  He gives us the strength to endure.

I pray that you will know Christ and His hope this Christmas and throughout the rest of your life. 

A very Merry Christmas to you!



Dearest friends in the Lyme world,

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you the happiest of holidays, a joyous Christmas, and healthy New Year! 

May 2013 be a year of good things for all of us....improved health, remission from Lyme disease, a better educated public, and a government ready to help those afflicted with this awful infection through the creation of a National Lyme Strategy in Canada.

As I look back on the past year, I have been so blessed by this "cyber world"!  I am grateful for those who have Lyme blogs who I have been able to connect with on a personal level, for those who have contacted me asking for help, and for anyone reading my blog who might find something helpful there.  Yes, I am grateful for all of you, because your empathy has helped me cope, and others among you (namely those who have e-mailed asking for help) have helped me find a greater purpose in my own struggles with this illness.  I am humbled to be able to help guide others out of the Lyme maze.

This morning, as I listened to Pastor James Macdonald's broadcast on his radio program called "Walk in the Word", he had a great message which left me with food for thought:

                                      "It's never too late.  Wait."

His message was about waiting on the Lord for what we need, and it got me thinking about how much waiting there is in Lyme recovery.  The progress is so awfully slow.  We must cling to hope and learn to wait and be patient.  But this is not an empty hope!  It is the expectation of good things to come out of our circumstances, whether we are fully healed on this Earth or not. 

Jesus will provide us with what we need to get through this rough time, to persevere, to endure.  Without this knowledge, I don't think I could have held on.  I kept thinking of that expression, "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  In those dark days of illness, I would picture myself hanging onto that knot!  Thanks to God, I did.  I waited, and waited, and waited, and over time, my treatment began to heal my body and mind.  I still think it is a miracle that I am perfectly well today (well....let's call it 95%) and able to live a normal life.

If you would like to listen to Pastor James Macdonald's audio broadcast in full, this came from his series entitled Jesus, the Promise:  Wait for Him - Part 3.  The audio broadcast can be purchased from his website here.

Once again, have a blessed Christmas as you wait on the One who can do all things, and who will provide in ways beyond comprehension, for those who put their trust in Him, and Him alone.