As the day winds down my thoughts shift from my full belly, to what the holiday is truly about. The typical lists of things to be thankful include the blessings. Children, family, friends, a warm home, a good job, etc. The things that I have become most thankful for are the moments that test us, because ultimately they make us better. The true strength of a person lies in what they have overcome. I look back at the day that brought me to the ER almost exactly a year ago- severe headache, violently vomiting, with an alarmingly high blood pressure. I was treated and advised to follow up with my…

So let’s face it, there are somethings in our life that we have no control over. We are faced with two options: to reel against it relentlessly as we tire ourselves out, or embrace it and and move forward. I have recently spent some time trying to figure out how I wanted my life to move forward. Faced with the reality that a chronic health condition may never improve, I was forced to really look at what that meant. To evaluate the trajectory I imagined vs the reality of the situation. It was during a conversation with my dad a couple of weeks ago that triggered my most recent self…