“…freely, you have received, freely
give.” Matthew 10:8
May 10: International Lupus Awareness Day
May is once again upon us and it is a
month in which we celebrate things that are very dear: Mother’s day, National
Prayer Month, Memorial Day…May is the grand harbinger of hot Summer Days and
also, on May 10, it is International Lupus Awareness day.
I must confess that at first, when I was
diagnosed with Lupus, I didn’t even want to talk about it, as I related it with
all that was negative and down turned in my life at the moment. However, I have
learned that educating ourselves is the best way to partake in the control of
our condition, and educating others is a call and a privilege that keep us
emotionally healthy. Knowledge is power and to share it is a responsibility.
It is not only a matter of sharing info
within ourselves (those affected by Lupus) but with others as well. On this day,
as it is dedicated to awareness, you might catch a glimpse of purple butterflies,
be it in brochures, posters, t shirts, walk for the Cause, speeches, blogs, or
another promotional medium.
The main goal for us Lupus patients on this day and always is to focus on healing, first and foremost the physical
and emotional aspects of our condition and then share our experiences with
others.
Maybe not all of us are ready to give a speech
on a public forum, but we can always find a way to do an outreach.
When my attitudes were
negative, I used to think “why me?” Now that my perspective
has changed I see that every trial just allowed me to grow, live and learn
while shaping me into someone string enough to survive my circumstances and
come on the other side with a story to share. The pain is but momentary when
you compare it with the things that are truly everlasting: the blessings, the
opportunity to touch someone else’s lives and say “hey, I’m here, I’ve been
through this. I’ll lend my ears, my shoulder if you need it and I’ll keep my
eyes open for those things we might learn from one and other at the end of the
day.”
So, let’s be open to dialogue, even if
informal conversation. Let’s have a word with members of our family, let’s make
sure they know about our condition and understand our limitations. That
combination of love and understanding will help us all get through.
Let’s talk to our employers, if they
understand our condition, it will help productivity, as our needs and those of
the company can be aligned.
If you are willing to take dialogue a
step further, keep working through church or the Lupus Foundation by doing
volunteer work; let’s put our ability to serve to the test. Volunteering is a
wonderful complement to your therapy! If you focus on the bigger picture, then
those pesky details (read, painful, dark days) won’t hurt as much. I love the
idea of freely giving what we have received. Even when going through a
condition like ours, let’s make life a blessed event and face the day with
renewed faith.
Last but not least, let’s keep in our
prayers those who are going through crisis related to our condition, hospital
patients, people who have been recently diagnosed. Let’s pray so they can
experience effective treatments and let’s also keep their families in our
thoughts and prayers as they too are going through a transition that is
sometimes confusing and even emotionally draining. Let’s give our support to
those who are grieving over family members that lost a battle against this
condition as well. We all belong to one family and must care for one and other.
Love to all and keep on walking down the
path to healing!
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