Never Give Up!

Three little words.....that have such a powerful meaning.  I am reminded of this over and over.....One day, Emma was put down for her nap - she wasn't having anything to do with it.....after several returns to her bed, all was quiet.  Elizabeth went in to check on her and found Emma lying in her bed, eyes wide open, softly chanting "Never give up.....never give up.....never give up!

Jan is my very best friend in the whole world.  We first became friends when our daughters met in the sandbox in preschool.  We've been through lots together - good times and not-so-good times.  Our daughters grew up together.  Jan and I (along with her husband Paul) were Girl Scout leaders together. The picture above is from the 80's (Jan's sitting on my lap)- we'd just arrived home after surviving a weekend camping trip with our Scout troop - gotta love the glasses...and the hair? ! We've always been there for each other through it all, and have had so many crazy adventures that it would take a book to chronicle them all!  We've stood together through the loss of her grandson to leukemia, the loss of my parents, the births of our grandchildren, trips to Target and trips to Europe. We're each other's biggest cheerleaders.     Jan has Parkinsons disease.  She doesn't allow her disease to define who she is.  She refuses to let it beat her.  When she started falling, she strapped on kneepads and wears them everywhere.....skirts, dresses, pants - it doesn't matter; she's not going to stop living because she falls down alot.  She can't tie her shoes, so she wears slip-ons.  Jan has figured out how to keep on keeping on!  She;s just now becoming willing to "think about" using my Mom's old walker, which is sitting in the corner of her living room (complete with an old-fashioned bike horn, I might add!). I'm her "doctor visit buddy" - we go to all appointments together because two heads are better than one.  We've been blessed to finally find a neurologist who doesn't just give her a prescription and shove her out the door.  Because of this fabulous doctor, Jan has speech, physical and occupational therapy.  She also goes to Curves. We figure out how she can continue to do things - like travel - there's nothing like a wheelchair in the airport (and lots of times, you get to go to the HEAD of the line)!  We like the perks of disability when they include a handicapped parking card - I could go on and on!

These are just two examples of the women who surround my life, young and old, whose mantra is "Never give up."  I don't stand a chance - I either have to jump on board with them, or get out of their way!