Overcoming Adversity with Love and Gratitude

Just like the little boy in the picture, I have been in deep prayer lately. Ever since 1987 came around it seems like I have been struck by tremendous adversity.

 Adversity seems to be after me constantly. Between hardship, tears, pain and illness, I have been cursed beyond repair.

My RA has really been a difficult and painful disease to bear but my RA has not been the cause of all my pain...a car accident I suffered from left me in deep pain for the past 21 years.  A man who was to eager to go left on a busy school spot caused all this pain, crashing his truck into my station wagon. After this accident occurred in 1990 I have been suffering every second of the day with pain. I've had titanium rods installed in my back to hold my almost broken spine, a titanium pin to hold a broken rotator cuff, an ankle implant to hold my destroyed ankle from the RA caused by the crash, and the advancement of my RA before its time. Now I am preparing for neck surgery in June to place 2 more titanium rods to hold my shoulder and neck in place due to the arthritis that has settle there because of the crash 21 years ago.

I sometimes wish I could sue the guy that crashed into me again for pain and suffering but I can't...the law does not permit me to do that. Then this last week I found out that I must also be fitted for new steel braces. But these new braces may possibly go up to my thighs because my RA is collapsing my knees towards the left side causing horrifying pain 24 hours a day on my left hip, knees and back.

It took me a while to get used to my current braces (below), but my new braces will take me a long time to adjust to.

These are my new hand braces. I use them at night for sleeping and when I watch television. Both my hands are twisting outward and it is difficult for me to grab things, carry things and to even cook, but I do it anyway. I wish I could wear these braces all the time, they make my hands feel so good. I love them. As you can see my knuckle is really big from the arthritis. Are these suppose to be the golden years or the painful years??? Which one???

On a happier not, I got to see my grand-daughter Paloma practice for her soccer games. She has gotten so big and the older she gets the more she looks like me when I was around that age. She's a very good player and I hope I get to see her play some games this Summer.

Every day that goes by I am grateful for my disease, it is a disfiguring one but not a life threatening one.  Every adversity we go through has a lesson behind it. Take it with love and thank God for it.