A Life in Letters — A Column By Jamie Hughes

June 15, 2018June 13, 2018

Mind Your Mind

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

I don’t know about you, but oftentimes my thoughts are as unruly and irrepressible as Mickey’s broomsticks in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” Whether I’m worried about the ... Read more

June 1, 2018May 31, 2018

How Dare You?

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

If you read my last column, you’re well aware that there has been some drama around Casa de Hughes over the last few weeks. I can ... Read more

May 18, 2018May 18, 2018

When the Bomb Goes Off

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

May 4, 2018May 4, 2018

I Am So Much More than My MS

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

April 20, 2018April 20, 2018

A Look Around the Terminal

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

April 6, 2018April 5, 2018

You Only Think You Know

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

When I tell people I have multiple sclerosis, I usually get one of three responses: • “Oh, no! I feel so bad for you!” (Pity) • ... Read more

March 16, 2018March 15, 2018

Just Do It

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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,” ... Read more

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018

Up with the Volume, Down with the Noise

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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? ... Read more

February 2, 2018February 1, 2018

Rest on the Water: A Flirtation with Flotation to Find Silence

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

January 19, 2018January 19, 2018

Chicken Soup Has Super Powers

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

January 5, 2018January 4, 2018

We Are Streams that Sing

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

December 15, 2017December 15, 2017

The Greatest Gifts

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

December 1, 2017December 1, 2017

Holding ‘Space’ for Others

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

  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 ... Read more

November 17, 2017November 17, 2017

Don’t Be a Turkey

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Because I come from a retail family — one that, for decades, put in long hours behind cash registers and in stock rooms — Christmas is ... Read more

October 27, 2017October 26, 2017

Meowmaste: Finding a Spark Inside Myself

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

“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 ... Read more

October 13, 2017October 13, 2017

Life’s Too Short

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Both of my sons — and, if I’m being honest, my husband — love Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Yes, that horrid stuff that comes in a ... Read more

September 29, 2017October 2, 2017

Shanah Tovah: Celebrating Each Year of Your MS Journey

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

September 15, 2017September 14, 2017

This Too Shall Pass

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

August 25, 2017August 27, 2017

Exploring Systems Beneath the Streets, Beneath the Skin

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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. ... Read more

August 11, 2017August 10, 2017

Cover to Cover, Books of All Kinds Can Lift Your Life

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

July 28, 2017July 28, 2017

Sharpen Your Sense of Joy

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

July 14, 2017July 14, 2017

What’s Your Strength?

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

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 ... Read more

June 30, 2017June 30, 2017

Go, Go Avocado!

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

I don’t normally go in for trends. For example, I don’t own a single pair of skinny jeans. I’ve never tried a Unicorn Frappuccino. I’m not ... Read more

June 16, 2017June 15, 2017

All the Power You Possess: How ‘Wonder Woman’ Reminds Us Who We Are

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Like millions of other fans, I happily plunked down $13 to launch “Wonder Woman” into blockbuster status on its opening weekend. In fact, I was so ... Read more

June 2, 2017June 2, 2017

One Man’s Playground is Another Man’s Horror

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Multiple sclerosis has a way of messing with one’s head. Whether it’s emotional or psychiatric disorders, fatigue, brain fog, or physical problems, there’s a lot to ... Read more

May 15, 2017May 15, 2017

Make Some Noise: The Importance of Concerts

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Pull up a chair, kiddos, and I’ll tell you a sad story. Because we’re both musicians, my husband and I love going to concerts together. We’re ... Read more

May 8, 2017May 10, 2017

Look What the Cat Dragged In!

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Like one third of America, I’m a cat lover. I’ve had kitties in my house since I was a child, often in sets. Currently, I’m the ... Read more

April 26, 2017April 26, 2017

39 Years and Counting — on at Least 39 More Great Ones

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Last week, I celebrated by 39th birthday. Yes, 39. That’s one year shy of the big 4-0. The last year of my 30s. If life was ... Read more

April 12, 2017April 12, 2017

Spring is an Apt Time to Reflect on MS and Hope

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

T.S. Eliot’s opens his masterwork The Waste Land with four stunning lines of verse: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, ... Read more

March 31, 2017March 31, 2017

A Word, If You Please

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Thirteen years ago, a neurologist sat on the edge of my hospital bed and told me, “You have MS. It’s not the end of the world. ... Read more

March 17, 2017March 20, 2017

MS Awareness Month: Which Ribbon Are We Again?

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. That means we need to make the most of these four weeks to raise some money for research, and raise awareness ... Read more

March 3, 2017March 3, 2017

Play On: What Baseball Has Taught Me About MS

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

When people ask me what I love, I usually respond, “God, my family, and St. Louis Cardinals baseball … in that order.” Other than the Razorbacks, ... Read more

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017

Conference Was a Reminder of Why We Must Continue to Create Own Stories

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Last week, I attended the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Washington, D.C. I had the opportunity to meet many fine folks who ... Read more

February 3, 2017February 3, 2017

Correlation Between MS and Harry Potter Characters is Pure Magic

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Perhaps the most famous MS advocate today isn’t a patient, but the daughter of one. Author J.K. Rowling lost her mother to multiple sclerosis in 1990, ... Read more

January 20, 2017January 19, 2017

Fighting MS on Our Own Terms: Vive La Resistance!

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

There’s one thing you need to know about my family — we’re weird. We laugh at inopportune times. We can go entire days just speaking to ... Read more

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017

Planning to Succeed in the New Year

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

Now that 2016 is thankfully behind us, it’s time to start a new year — fresh, rested, and ready to kick butt and chew bubble gum. ... Read more

December 16, 2016December 16, 2016

Hope Lights the Way to a Cure for MS

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

“This first candle in the advent wreath,” I told my kids as I clicked the lighter and set its flame atop the wick, “represents hope. What ... Read more

December 2, 2016December 16, 2016

Life is a Symphony of Challenges – Play On!

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

In Cold Sassy Tree, the classic novel by Olive Ann Burns, Grandpa Blakeslee tells his grandson Will Tweedy that, “Livin’ is like pourin’ water out of ... Read more

November 18, 2016December 16, 2016

‘Courage, Dear Heart’*

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth. Those ... Read more

November 4, 2016December 16, 2016

Finding Power in Knowledge and Numbers

A Life in Letters -- A Column By Jamie Hughes, Columns

When you have a chronic illness, learning everything you can about it is both a blessing and curse. The part of me that’s a researcher and ... Read more