It's a year ago that I decided to publish my first blog entry, and lots has happened in the past year. That always happens though, doesn't it? If you actually take time to look back at any 365 days, you'll notice changes. The difference is that there's an actual record that I can look back on.
Over the past year, I learned so much from all of you.
Before I started this blog, I didn't realize how similar autoimmune diseases are, and it's nearly 12 years since my MS diagnosis. The exact symptoms vary with each disease, but there are many similarities.
I know my blog has helped people in different ways, and that's a great feeling. Knowing that I made a small positive impact is so rewarding. For some of you, the blog has been informational. For others, it's inspired you to start writing again, and there are those of you who have said that you enjoy reading my blog. I thank each and every one of you for indulging me.
While it's the one year anniversary of my blog, I don't want this post to turn into a recap of the whole last year. If you really want to look back, it's all still there. I wanted to express my gratitude, though.
My daughter came home Sunday night after being on her 8th-grade class trip. She left early Thursday morning, and it seemed like a really long time that she was gone. Maybe it's because she was in Canada over 250 miles away without a phone. The last time she went on an overnight school trip she went to Cleveland and had her phone with her. When she goes to summer camp for 9 days, she's not allowed to bring electronics, but I know she's only 30 miles away.
Anyway, the trip was to Camp Pathfinder in Algonquin Park in Ontario. It's actually an island in the park. You can read about the camp here.
My daughter said she had a great time.
This weekend made me realize that in four short years, she will be starting college. My little pink bundle is becoming a young woman. When the time comes for her to really spread her wings and fly, I hope to be as strong as my mom was when I was considering the move to Chicago.
As much as I wanted to take the job in Chicago, I was just as apprehensive. My dad was in declining health, and my mom didn't have her driver's license. Someone even offered to pay for driving lessons for my mom so she wouldn't have to rely on anyone. I was concerned about my parents being in Buffalo alone. Oh, they had family (their brothers and sisters) and friends, but my brother, sister and I all lived (or were going to live) hundreds or thousands of miles from Buffalo.
Ultimately, it was my mother who pushed me to move. As we loaded up the last of the stuff, got in the moving truck, and drove away from my family home. I cried. I cried all the way to Ohio (about 200 miles or so).
My mother was strong, smart and wise in so many ways. She could say so much with such few words. The words that finally let me choose Chicago were, “Lou Ann, just GO. There's nothing here for you”. I knew the implied ending was “You can always come home if you really don't like it”.
Come home we did, after ten years. Coming home didn't just start a new chapter in our lives, it was more like a sequel. Spring of 2002 we moved back, fall of 2003 had our daughter, fall of 2004 bought our house and I was diagnosed with MS, spring of 2006 had our son. It seems life exploded once we moved back.
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