A Life in Letters — A Column By Jamie Hughes

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 ... 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. For instance, did ... 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 a uniquely portable ... 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 back-to-school time. It ... 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 in traffic the ... 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 on Instagram or ... 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 excited that I ... 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 wrestle with. And ... 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 on a budget, ... 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 proud parent of ... 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 a rollercoaster ride, ... 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, mixing Memory and ... 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. There’s more on ... 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 about the disease ... 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, Arkansas (my home ... 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 are hard at ... 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, something she describes ... 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 one another in ... 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. That being said, ... 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 does that word ... 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 a tumbler into ... 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 lines from William ... 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 a digger at ... Read more

October 20, 2016December 16, 2016

Lego and MS: Lessons from Things That Rip Apart and Reassemble

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

As a mother of two boys, I’m blessed with an abundance of dirty socks, Nerf darts, and Legos — all of which end up in the laundry (more or ... Read more

October 5, 2016December 16, 2016

Vitamin D: You Are What You Eat

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

A few weeks ago, I visited my general practitioner for a yearly physical. I was expecting him to harp on my weight, cholesterol, blood pressure — any of the ... Read more

September 30, 2016December 16, 2016

Happy is the Woman

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

And do you feel scared? I do, but I won’t stop and falter. And if we threw it all away, things can only get better – Howard Jones, ... Read more