Reason to celebrate

[Guest guest]

Dear Ruth,

The fact that you celebrated and gave flowers to your friends is a testament to

what kind of person you are. It should have been the other way way around, but

you took it upon yourself to let people know you were celebrating your life with

them. Now, I would just send them a card to let them know what they have meant

to you all these years and how they helped you get through those early years.

You may have stopped because your life became more normal. I give thanks that

we are all here and whether or not to celebrate is a personal thing.

Somsa do and somsa don't. I'm sure you enjoyed every time you did it and now

it's time to move on to something else. Other people get on with their lives,

they don't have to get up every day and remember to take their pill, whatever

color it is, or whether you take it with a meal or while fasting. Even if we do

nothing else in a day, we have our ritual and it is so much better than it was

in 2000. You have " come a long way, baby " and glad you are still one of us and

sharing another year with us.

We all have a different story and I would love to hear them all. I would be

happy to put them in a book, so the next generation of CMLers would know how

well they have it compared to the old timers. I was tough before, but I think I

am even tougher now, because I have to stand up for myself. We had to learn a

new language (new words and acronynms), how to talk to doctors and insurance

companies and I have learned to say " no " . Many of us, including myself had to

learn how to use a computer and that was not easy. Computers were just coming

in when I retired as a secretary, but I wish we would have had them before. I

had to start from scratch.

So, I say to everyone who is a member and had to learn how to use a computer,

good for you, and I'll bet it made you feel more independent, you could do

things for yourself and it was great when you learned something new. Never stop

learning and greeting newcomers - remember how you felt when you joined.

Everyone was so loving and patient. Sometimes you cried because you were so

overwhelmed at so much information coming at you at once. Don't let complacency

set in and forget about the rest of us, we are all still struggling to survive

and we still need each other. Be a stranger no longer and introduce yourself to

the rest of us. I think we all joined in the first place to meet other people

like ourselves and that certainly has not changed.

Your name is already in the Book of Life. My mother used to talk to me when I

was a child and tell me I was in God's Book of Life. I thought that was so

wonderful that God knew who I was and where I lived. She told me that God had

entered the name of every person he had created. She also told me there was

another book, the Book of Perdition and that was even harder for me to

understand, but she said those people had done terrible things and would not be

admitted to his Kingdom if they were not in his Book of Life. I believed

everything she told me, so I took it on her faith and made it mine. God bless

you all and may He continue to bless you. The news that we could live as long

as ordinary people was certainly good to hear.

Carpe Diem,

Lottie Duthu