Christmas Eve Surprise!

On Christmas Eve, I was busy preparing food when FedEx arrived with a package. I was a little surprised since I had every thing I had ordered under the tree. When I opened the box, this is what I saw - a gift from Janssen/Tonic Life Communications team!  What a lovely way to remember the courage, determination, and strength that was witnessed at the Joint Decisions summit in Boston. 

Each RA blogger shared a quote.  This was mine.  When going through a tough flare, I always remind myself that where I am now is where I need to be. When I remind myself of this, I can see that a flare often occurred because I wasn't caring for myself.  I was letting stress take over my life and the flare was a reminder to take time to rest and be gentle with myself.  

While my RA is pretty much under control these days, I do have to admit that being at the summit brought me back to some rough days. But, I left feeling encouraged by the strength and positive outlook of our community, knowing that if and when my RA decides to make a comeback, there are plenty of people out there ready to motivate me to keep going strong..