A Mother's Motivation to Keep Moving

Wonderful public domain image found here. 

In an earlier post entitled Summer Breezes, I opined that young adult sjoggies -- especially those with young children -- have significant challenges:

I am grateful that when my kids were young, thankfully I was mostly able to keep up with them. Now that I am older and dealing with Sjogren's and company, I have the luxury of putting this dumb stupid disease first, unlike other young parents who have to balance the needs of their families with their own health issues and concerns. And when summer rolls around and kids take a break from school, those needs frequently include lots and lots of physical activities.

Whew. I need a nap just thinking about it. You guys are awesome. Seriously.

I meant that, really. And this email from a young sjoggie mom makes me admire these folks EVEN MORE:

This email has been long in the making. I don't remember when but a while back you posted about how you empty nesters are better off than us with young children. When I read your post I was encouraged and said, "Yes! Someone gets how hard this is!" But as I kept thinking about it I realized that I am very lucky to have young kids at home. Most days I don't have the luxury of staying in bed, or taking an easy day when the pain is high. I have three young kids, that we choose homeschool, waiting on me. This fact pushes me. It makes me get out of bed on those tough days. It makes me rely on Christ to get through the day. I know that I am a better Sjogren's patient because I have little ones expecting me to still be a mom. Yes, it is tough and I appreciate other Sjoggies who admire what I do but I know that I need my kids to help push me to continue. I may otherwise sink into despair about how much my life has changed.

I know that we each have our own path but I am very thankful for my motivation to keep moving --to keep living life. I am also thankful for my three snugglers when the pain and fatigue is too great.

Girl. My hat is off to you, and to all parents who balance dealing with a chronic illness and raising a family.

While acknowledging the difficulties of her life, the reader gave me a bit of a different perspective on her challenges: that her children definitely had needs that pushed her boundaries of energy and pain, but that they also provided enormous positives in her life as well.

A child's love, a sense of belonging, the knowledge that one is needed and appreciated....... yes, I can believe that these things would outweigh the challenges of autoimmune disease.

Thanks for the insight.