I was going to write a poem about the migraine I had all afternoon. I'd been simmering all evening, wrapping words around one another, trying to find a good fit. I'd come up with a slightly off-color limerick about it, wondering if it might turn off more folks than would be amused by it...
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And then I got a phone call from an old friend. This is the girl who was my other half from eighth grade on, whose family is my family. [We have not stayed as close as halves of a whole over the years - putting 1200 miles in between your faces does have an effect on a friendship, no matter how much you love one another. We love each other and every time we are together it is as if little time and no distance has passed.] So, she called me this evening.... You know it isn't good when the conversation starts with, "I have some news. But first, you've gotta promise not to freak out."
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Well, I didn't freak out, but I did cry for my friend, who has been diagnosed with MS. She was hospitalized recently after suffering stroke-like symptoms. After many tests and a scan that showed lesions on her brain, she was discharged with a potentially life-changing diagnosis.
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My mind keeps going over and over, thinking "She's too young!", "It's not fair!"... And I am reminded that God is in control. My friend is fortunate, for right now there is great hope she has the better type of MS, with episodes, rather than the debilitating type, which gradually wreaks havoc on your entire system. So, if you pray, please pray for my friend, Missy. That she would remain healthy and well. That she wouldn't suffer another episode for the 5 or 10 years the doctor said is possible.
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I love you, Miss. I wish I could be there right now to give you a hug and just sit and laugh with you. 19 years of laughs aren't enough, so you gotta be up for about 50 more.
