September 17, 2021 Columns by Jamie Hughes MS and the Beauty of Changing Seasons I walked outside a couple days ago and something amazing happened. The heat didnāt slap me in the face. The humidity didnāt sit on my chest like some sort of weird, invisible lead weight. (And let me tell you, in Georgia, the heat and humidity are beyond oppressive. The second…
May 20, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Get Out of Your Own Way: Growth at 36,000 Feet I find peace at 36,000 feet. Quasi-calm. My surroundings and I move in unison with little friction. The hum of the Boeing 737 lulls me to sleep. Tranquility is a powerful provocateur when turbulence is your norm, a juxtaposition to the bed of billowy clouds below. As if…
September 27, 2019 Columns by Jamie Hughes Violence Can Ensue When We Don’t Rest One of the best things about my job is something called fact-checking. Before publishing an article, we go through all the stats, facts, quotes, and assertions, researching their validity. Thatās how I came across a humdinger of a quote by Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who lived from 1915…
December 14, 2018 Columns by Jamie Hughes Shalom and the State of My Staircase My eldest son, like thousands of other kids in the world, struggles in school. Heās partially deaf, and some of his challenges stem from inescapable biological factors. However, thereās also a component of learned helplessness that I must address. For many years, he felt, or in some cases…
March 1, 2018 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Reflective Calm: Finding Peace Amid Progression I have been contemplative these last few days, lost in thought regarding the state of the MS. I am not sad or upset, simply in observation mode. Reaching for what may have precipitated this gentle melancholy, I realize I am on the precipice of my 49th year. While MS continues…
December 7, 2017 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Finding Peace During the Holidays The Christmas season is upon us ā decorations, shopping, and get-togethers dominate the month of December. If you tune into the Hallmark channel you will see this season as synonymous with love, laughter, and an abundance of cheer. With joy the prevailing theme it can be difficult to experience…
September 26, 2017 Columns by Teresa Wright-Johnson Retreating from the Noise: the Importance of Peace Our world is chaotic right now. I literally have to disengage from social media and periodically turn off the news just to rejuvenate my spirit and find some peace. It is difficult to remain positive in a pessimistic society. We are divided by politics and spiritual beliefs. We are…
July 26, 2017 Columns by Cathy Chester 31 Lessons I’ve Learned in 31 Years of Living with MS I was diagnosed at a time when no approved medications for MS existed and there was no internet to search for information about the disease. I was in my late 20s, dating the man I’d eventually marry and wondering how this new normal would affect my life. I’ve…