The Graduate

 

This is my first born Joshua and he has just graduated Highschool.

I am so very proud of him.

 

I have been sick most of his life, only his first 1 and 1/2 years were not filled with me being sick.

They were some of the best years of my life!

 

I loved being a new Mama watching him grow.

Now he is taller than me!

 

His Graduation Ceremony was last Wednesday.

It was a long ceremony but I made it through.

 

Thank goodness for my TENS machine which

helps me make it through long events like this.

 

I had to get up and walk around a number of times

but I did it!

 

I watched my firstborn son walk across that stage

and accept his diploma!!!

 

I'm so very proud of you Joshua!

 

 

I hope all of you are having an amazing week.

Many hugs and blessings

 

Kelly Watts

Being Positive With A Chronic Illness

(Artwork by Artist Kelly Watts 2013)

 

So you have a Chronic Illness, your pain is through the roof, you've pretty much been through the ringers with the Doctors, and you are probably pretty depressed fighting for strength every day.

 

How do you stay positive?

 

This is a very hard question to answer.  Your first thought was probably something like, "Stay positive... pffffft... I am just trying to survive here!"

 

I fully understand.  I fight my negative thoughts every day.

 

However, what I have found to benefit me tremendously is changing my perspective...

 

For example;

I have written in journals since I was nine years old but whenever I read through them again I would get further depressed because all of my writing, venting, ranting and raving was negative.  Just reading them took me down the emotional rollercoaster re-experiencing all the bumps and hills over again.

 

So a few years back I decided to start a 'Positive Journal' and in this journal I would only write about good things.  If I experienced something bad or emotional I would try to find something positive about the situation and write about that instead.

 

This process allowed me to find the positive in bad situations, it allowed me to change my focus and change my life.  I went from being a complainer of everything to an optimistic 'cup is half full' kind of gal.

 

I am not saying that this happened overnight... this is a process.

It takes time to change how you think.

 

 

How will changing the way you think help you with your Chronic Illness?

 

Being positive allows you to focus on all the good things in your life; it will help you to see through the brain fog and the pain that you are experiencing so that you can accept the goodness that surrounds you.

 

It calms your soul so that you will not be consumed with needless worry.

 

Dealing with pain 24/7 makes it very difficult to think at all but when you are able to think clearer at least then you will be nourishing your soul with good thoughts instead of poisoning it with negative thoughts.

 

If you can think positive, or find something positive to focus on while you are dealing with your Chronic Illness you will find your strength to get through.

 

My strength comes from the Lord.

My hope is in the Lord.

 

I hope you find these tips helpful.

 

Have a wonderful week.

 

Many hugs and blessings

 

Kelly Watts

 

 

 

 

Heat Seeker W/Flare-up

(Artwork by Kelly Watts 2013)

 

In my chats with other Chronic Illness sufferers I have discovered that Chronic Pain symptoms are helped and hindered in different ways depending on the person.

 

Me...

 

I am a heat-seeker!

 

The heat and the sunshine just make my body feel so much better.

 

However, it is not all heat that helps.  I am not good with humidity as it effects my Arthritis.

 

Some people feel better in the humid heat; some the dry heat.

 

Some love the cold weather... I am not one to share these views of cold.

 

I have a lovely friend in Australia who cannot wait for it to cool down there,

 

and here I am waiting for it to heat up here!

 

This week in particular is a strange one for me...

 

It is sunny and beautiful and I am in the middle of a flare-up!

 

It's like a double-edged sword...

 

I want to sit in the sun but I hurt sitting in my lounger for too long.

 

Then I lay down to rest and the sunshine is just mocking me!

 

I want to be outside when it is beautiful, I want to hike, run, jump and play!

 

I want to be normal with no pain, no illness, no Doctor appointments...

 

No sense in complaining about it...

 

I can only pray for God's healing to come down upon me... upon us all who suffer.

 

May His healing hand bring warmth and comfort to our bones,

 

may we sleep sweet knowing we are in the hands of the Almighty God.

 

May our hope and our strength come from the Lord

 

and may we be filled with so much of His love that there is NO room,

 

no cracks, no breaks where depression can sneak in.

 

 

How easy that creature slithers!

 

We need to stomp on him and kick him to the curb!

 

If possible we need to take back our lives to live the life we were made to live!

 

As I have said before, we are not without hope!

 

 

Know that you are not alone, I am always thinking about and praying for you!

 

Many hugs and blessings Dear Ones

 

Sincerely

 

 

Kelly Watts

 

 

One Bad Day... Just One

(Artwork by Artist Kelly Watts 2013)

 

Love God, Love others, Love yourself...

 

Especially on Doctor days!

 

Every month I have to go to the Doctor for a new prescription and I should be used to the fact that those days are pretty much going to be a right off.

 

Ya'no!

 

Nope, I do not learn.

 

So after my appointment (which went really well by the way, according to my hubbub)...

I still broke down crying.

 

You see, I thought I was doing really well.  I thought I was dealing with everything really well.

 

Apparently not.

 

During the Doctor's appointment I broke down because I realized that I hadn't been able to exercise for a couple months.  I have been mostly in bed or laying on the couch just fighting each and every day to get through.

 

Pain does that to a person... it kind of traps us in our own bodies and holds us down.

 

I do what I gotta do in regards to finding a life worth living the best way that I can.

 

I turn to God for my strength and my support.

.

I turn to the gifts that He has given me to help keep me sane...

 

as well as to inspire and bless others.

 

Yes, I have to do most of my artwork from bed but that is not the end of the world; it just limits what art I can do.

 

My life is full of blessings and so I focus on those and I know that everything will be okay.

 

Praying that all of you are doing well... and if not... that you are doing the best that you possibly can right now.

 

Sending out healing thoughts to all my lovely spoonie sisters!

 

Sincerely with much love and blessings

 

Kelly Watts