May 18, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes When the Bomb Goes Off It’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security, to think you’re the supreme authority in your life. And when that ersatz truth is ripped away, as it was for my husband and me the last…
May 4, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes I Am So Much More than My MS Every personality test and trait indicator quiz I take tells me the same thing: I’m a polymath. Basically, it’s a fancy Greek word meaning “a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning.” I take delight in gathering interesting…
April 20, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes A Look Around the Terminal It’s spring — at least, it’s supposed to be — so getting stuck at the airport due to snow was the last thing I expected during a recent trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan. But that’s exactly what happened…
April 6, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes You Only Think You Know When I tell people I have multiple sclerosis, I usually get one of three responses: • “Oh, no! I feel so bad for you!” (Pity) • “Is that the one with the telethon?” (Confusion) • “I…
March 16, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes Just Do It Mary Schmich, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote a 1997 essay aimed at graduates. In it, she shared many practical nuggets of wisdom such as “Floss,” and thoughts like, “Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re…
March 2, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes Up with the Volume, Down with the Noise Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” That’s not a lesson modern American culture has taken to heart, is it? Seems like we’re more inclined to take Daft Punk’s advice and do…
February 2, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes Rest on the Water: A Flirtation with Flotation to Find Silence I’m currently working on an essay about the power of silence. And, in the process of planning this thing, I realized I don’t do so well with it — especially at night. So, to work my way through…
January 19, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes Chicken Soup Has Super Powers Get plenty of rest. Drink lots of warm fluids. Use a humidifier. Gargle and flush your sinuses with warm salt water. Blow your nose early and often. Take over-the-counter medications. Eat some chicken soup. No doubt, you…
January 5, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes We Are Streams that Sing Wendell Berry, a novelist, poet, farmer and environmental activist, has written a number of superb books. Don’t believe me? Go read “Jayber Crow” and shoot me a message. I would love to discuss it with someone…
December 15, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes The Greatest Gifts Christmas is just around the corner, and that’s why many people are on the fruitless quest for Fingerlings or hocking an organ to buy the new iPhone. Both might be the “hot” presents of the season, but…
December 1, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Holding ‘Space’ for Others When a friend or loved one is going through a tough time, it’s hard to know how best to help. Do you help carry the burden? Would it be better to offer support from a distance and…
November 17, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Don’t Be a Turkey Because I come from a retail family — one that, for decades, put in long hours behind cash registers and in stock rooms — Christmas is not a holiday we particularly look forward to arriving. We enjoyed it,…
October 27, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Meowmaste: Finding a Spark Inside Myself “We don’t say the ‘D word’ here,” our instructor said. “Just for tonight, let’s all get into downward-facing cat.” The yoga pose wasn’t one I was comfortable in, but then again, so much about yoga makes me…
October 13, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Life’s Too Short Both of my sons — and, if I’m being honest, my husband — love Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Yes, that horrid stuff that comes in a blue box, the kind that you make with a packet of powdered…
September 29, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Shanah Tovah: Celebrating Each Year of Your MS Journey I became a Christian when I was 8, and though I’ve wrestled with my faith at various points in my life, I’ve never once doubted my decision to follow Christ. Multiple sclerosis didn’t change this fact in…
September 15, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes This Too Shall Pass I posted this meme on social media last week with the caption “Current Life Status,” hoping a laugh might help matters. I’m sorry to say things didn’t improve afterward. I’m not a Debbie Downer or a Sad Sack…
August 25, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Exploring Systems Beneath the Streets, Beneath the Skin Our bodies are amazing creations, lovingly handcrafted by an infinitely powerful and creative God, and I never get tired of learning facts about how they work. For instance, did you know that 25 percent of adult…
August 11, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Cover to Cover, Books of All Kinds Can Lift Your Life In “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” as excellent a book about wordcraft as has ever been set to paper, Stephen King says, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” I’m inclined to agree. After all, no matter…
July 28, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes Sharpen Your Sense of Joy Believe it or not, summer is nearing its end, and a new school year is upon us. I don’t know about you all, but I loved back-to-school time. It meant new things to learn, friends to make…
July 14, 2017 Columns by Jamie Hughes What’s Your Strength? I have a co-worker who can meet someone and 10 minutes later know their life’s story. Heck, she even bonded with a woman who rear-ended her in traffic the other day. I admire this skill and strive…
November 30, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Is multiple sclerosis everywhere, or am I just more aware of it now?