Our Hands Can Community Stories: November 2014 – Thankful

Gratitude. Every November (and October in Canada), we all pay a little more attention to what we are thankful for. It makes you feel better to realize those small moments of quiet joy. In November, the Show Us Your Hands! Picture Project asked the inflammatory arthritis community “What are you thankful for?” We got lots of wonderful submissions.

Tia Maria showed us an impressive bruise, saying “I'm thankful for this bruised hand because it signifies finally getting my Remicade infusion and hopefully feeling this flare slip away soon.” Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful perspective with us!

Several people in the community are thankful for their pets. Among them were Trisha and her “cuddle buddy, Chuck … He loves me so much.” We all agree that he has a wonderful face! Jill was thankful for her cat, who in the true (and kind of endearing) spirit of all cats, turned its head just when the camera went off.

Christina submitted her photo on Twitter, saying she was “feeling thankful this weekend cooking with arthritis.” We don’t know what you were cooking, Christina, but it looks good!

Kathleen got a manicure and was “grateful to the lady who made my nails look nice …
Little things mean a lot.” Your hands look beautiful, Kathleen!

Can someone please do a drumroll? It’s time to announce our winner! Congratulations to Ruby for this great photo. Her caption was “When I was struggling to get a diagnosis in the early days one of the things I stopped being able to do was play video games. Specifically guitar on guitar hero and drums on rock band. I’m so thankful that 7 years after my symptoms started I'm playing a little guitar hero here & there.”

Contact us at infoATsuyhDOTorg with your mailing address and we’ll get the book to you before the holidays!

Do you want to be part of the Picture Project in December? Our theme is The Holidays. Take a photo of your hands doing something related to how you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or anything else, then post it on the Show Us Your Hands! Facebook page or on Twitter and tag your post with @showusyourhands. Submit as many photos as you’d like.

The December prize is a copy of Lene Andersen’s new 2015 The Seated View calendar.

Just a reminder: by submitting a photo, you give Show Us Your Hands! permission to use the photo and your name in our community programs, such as the monthly Our Hands Can! Community Stories.

Our Hands Can! Community Stories — July 2014: Holidays/Vacation

Before we show you some of the wonderful entries in the Show Us Your Hands! July Picture Project, we’d like to tell you more about what it is we’re doing.

It is easy to forget all the amazing things we can do when living with inflammatory arthritis.  Photos are a great way of putting a picture into our mind of all the things we are accomplishing day to day. And that, in a nutshell, is what the Show Us Your Hands! Picture Project is all about!

Each month we come up with a new theme and ask the community to submit photos of what their hands can do related to the theme. This is one of the ways in which we fulfill our mission of uniting and inspiring the inflammatory arthritis community. But we can’t do it without you. Why not join the Picture Project?

The theme for August is “Food.” Here’s what you do:

1.   Take a photo of your hands chopping, grilling, cooking, eating. You get the idea. If you’re the parent of a child with JA, why not get your kids involved, as well?

2.  Post it on the Show Us Your Hands! Facebook page.

3.  Tag your post with #showusyourhands.

And that’s all! Submit as many photos as you’d like. At the end of the month, our Advisory Council will choose their favorite. The August prize is a copy of Kim P. Miller’s Living with Juvenile Arthritis: A Parent’s Guide. Thanks so much to Kim for the donation! We also should let you know that by submitting a photo, you give Show Us Your Hands! permission to use the photo and your name in our community programs, such as the monthly Our Hands Can! Community Stories.

July’s theme was Holidays/Vacation and we got some amazing entries. Here is a small selection:

Rebecca went to Disney and says she “made it through and had a blast!” It sure looks like both you and the little one on having a good time!

Karen posted this photo, saying “Not exactly "vacation", since the only reason I'm home is because I was let go from my job in April. But I've been using the time to create some jewelry.” We love that you’re making something beautiful out of a difficult time, Karen!

Sheri shared this shot, telling us that she is “spreading the word about Scleroderma awareness in Blarney, Ireland!” Way to go, Sheri!

Congratulations, Sheri. You’re the winner of the July Picture Project! You’ll get an e-book copy of Lene Andersen’s 7 Facets: A Meditation on Pain. Check your inbox for a message from us with details on how to claim your prize.

To see the other entries in our Picture Project, hop on over to the Show Us Your Hands! Facebook page. While you’re there, why not submit a photo yourself?

Discovering and Embracing Our Individual Gifts

“According to this law [the law of Dharma], you have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world--and for every unique talent and unique expression of that talent, there are also unique needs. When these needs are matched with the creative expression of your talent, that is the spark that creates affluence. Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates unlimited wealth and abundance.” 

― Deepak Chopra

After each class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a middle aged Cambodian student tells me that she "thanks the Lord every class for her teacher's patience."  She always tells me that I have a gift.  It is true. I have been given the gift of patience. It is a theme I see over and over on evaluations by my students and I think something that has made me successful as a teacher.  I also believe this is why I enjoy teaching so much - I am using the gifts that I was meant to share.

Over the last few years I have been thinking about individual gifts more and more.  I think the idea of individual gifts was first placed in my mind after reading The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success for Parents  where Deepak Chopra said something along the lines of "our most important job as a parent is to help our children discover their individual gifts to this world."   Thinking of each person with individual gifts has not only  opened my mind to looking at what each person brings to this world, but also to take a good look at myself. It has made me appreciate my own gifts rather than focus on the gifts I wasn't given.

Sometimes though, when I surround myself with awesome people, I forget what my individual gifts and talents are and concentrate more on their strengths because I am in such awe of the things they can accomplish.  While I think admiring others gifts is entirely what we are supposed to do, I realize that I sometimes let the balance tip to one side where I neglect to see my own place.  This is when I know I need to take a step back and look at my life as a whole and see where my gifts are planting their seeds.  I did this yesterday.  I took a step back and realized how much is actually going on around me right now.  It is a lot. My gifts are definitely presenting themselves, but at times I am not acknowledging where these gifts are being most shared or even where they are being least shared.

Right now my mom is in Pakistan.  She is teaching parish nursing classes for 30 days. I have to say that I have never been more proud of my mom.  She is in her early 70's, has severe fibromyalgia, Type II diabetes, and  some other health concerns. Yet, she put all of this aside because sharing her gifts with the world was stronger than any health concerns.  I am proud of my mom because she has made this amazing trip but most of all I am proud of her because she fully understands the gifts she has been given and embraces them.  She made a connection with a fellow parish nurse and knew that she was the right person for this job.  From her emails, it sounds like she was right. She had over 100 students and starts a new class today.

Each day I ask that I may share my individual gifts with the world and also acknowledge and encourage the gifts of those around me.  Some days I am successful and other days not. I know this will be a forever challenge, but with each step I get closer to seeing those gifts in myself and others, the more I grow.  We are each here for a reason, no matter what else is going on in our lives.

Here are a few examples from my week:

• My reading class gave presentations last Thursday. One of my students was a teacher in Puerto Rico. She always uses Powerpoint for her presentations. This time around she brought her laptop in and had groups working on it and my computer as she taught them how to use Powerpoint.  When I thanked her for this she smiled and said, "I just love helping people."  A true example of how when we share our gifts, our own needs are met. 
• Saturday night I went with my husband to band practice and hung out with the other wives.  My husband and I don't spend near enough time with other couples.  I sometimes forget how funny he is.  It is a true gift that when I recognize it again, it fills me with pride. 
• My fellow Show Us Your Hands! friends have tremendous gifts in organization, creativity, and punctuation skills among many others.  Their gifts are often very different than mine but I always learn from them and feel amazed at their capabilities.  I also appreciate that they respect and love me for my gifts. 
• Although I sometimes wish my gifts came out stronger when helping my family with their own issues, I know that is where my gifts are strong right now. I know I need to be gentler with myself and focus on what I am contributing rather than what I am not.  By sharing my gifts I know my own needs will be met.  

No matter what is going on in our lives, our gifts are always there and always ready to be shared.  I hope that today allows you a chance to see your own gifts and to cherish them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Join the Show Us Your Hands! Board!

Show Us Your Hands! is moving to the next level. We are beginning the process of becoming an official nonprofit charity organization in order to continue organizing creative community projects and awareness campaigns aimed at increasing public understanding of inflammatory arthritis. This means we need to grow our Board of Directors.

This is where you come in!

As a member of the Show Us Your Hands! Board of Directors, your responsibilities would include:

• defining our Mission and ensuring we stay on course,
• developing an annual plan and managing programs to accomplish our Mission,
• implementing and maintaining transparent financial systems, budgets and accounting controls,
• supporting and engaging in fundraising efforts,
• internal board management, such as electing officers and replacing outgoing Directors,
• establishing and overseeing special-issues committees (e.g., community outreach, volunteers, awareness programs, special events), and
• helping promote Show Us Your Hands! and its activities to the public.

Our organizational culture is one that emphasizes proactive teamwork, respect and a sense of humor. We believe in the inflammatory arthritis community and in this organization and work hard for the love of the cause. (This is another way of saying that this is a volunteer unpaid position!)

If you are committed to working at the global grassroots level to unite and inspire people who live with inflammatory arthritis, please let us know by responding to a few questions before November 1, 2012. We will carefully review all submissions and then contact selected individuals in order to schedule brief online interviews.

Experience with finance and accounting is a plus.

Apply now to join the Show Us Your Hands! Board of Directors.

Four Years of Finding the True Me

On May 31, 2008 I wrote my first post for The Life and Adventures of Cateepoo.  At the time, I had no idea if anyone would ever read a word I wrote but I felt a strong need to put my thoughts into writing.  As I reread my first blog post, I felt tears swell as I remembered the woman I was and reflected on the woman I am today. The core of me is the same, but so much growth has occurred over the years. Here's my first post:

There have been two things I have done in the last four and a half years that I put a lot of thought into and still made a decision I wasn't completely comfortable with. I felt both decisions were going against who I really am. However, I thoughtfully made the decisions and now I am in the process of reversing those decisions.  


The first decision was made over four years ago when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Everything in me told me that the medications they wanted me to start on were not in my best interest. However, I was new to the alternative health world and the fear in not taking the meds took over. Within six months of being diagnosed, I saw my body go from stiff fingers in the morning to barely being able to get out of bed by myself . This wasn't the type of life I wanted for myself. It didn't feel like "me". So, I started on the meds even though they didn't feel like me either. I have been on meds for over four years now. In February, I made the choice to go off all meds!


Two years ago, in the midst of trying to find a sexier me, I decided to start coloring my hair. I was fairly comfortable with the grays that have been coming in since I was 16, but all the sudden the grays seemed wiry and out of control. I decided to just go for it and pay the consequences later. Well, I have to admit, I do like the coloring job my hair stylist does. However, every eight weeks when it is time to go for a touch-up, I see those grays coming through and think, "Oh, there I am." It feels like I keep covering up a part of who I am. A good friend of mine said, "You have earned those grays." I do believe that and I am on the road to finding my grays again! I cancelled my appointment for today and I am letting the natural me come back.


It feels liberating to be off meds (even if the alternative stuff isn't working yet) and to know that in the next year or so, I will be totally hair color free again!!! Please join me as I continue my quest for a healthy body that heals with natural herbs, vitamins and homeopathy and as I find peace with the hair I have earned.
Catepoo


The last four years have been all about discovering who I am and which decisions are right for me.  I have learned that although I share a similar disease with many wonderful people, the path I take is very individual.   Since I started this blog I have learned that the "right" decision for me will always change.What is right for me now may not be right for me in two years or even in two months. Letting go of the idea that the decisions I make today are permanent was life changing.  When I decided to return to medications along with a continued alternative health/diet approach to calming my rheumatoid arthritis in August of 2010, I made the decision knowing that at any time I can change the course of my path.  The choices are mine to make - not my rheumatologist's, family's, friends's, or fellow blogger's.  I am ultimately the expert when it comes to my body and as long as I listen to what my body is asking of me at the time, the choices will always be right.

You may wonder if I found the true me when I let my natural grays fill in.  Yes!  While I started coloring my hair in an attempt to "find a sexier me", I have discovered that the grays are a good match for me.  They feel like they belong to who I am.  I have discovered that being my authentic self that feels comfortable in my own body is the sexiest thing I can do.  

When I started this blog, it was a way for me to organize my thoughts.  In my wildest dreams I never imagined all the wonderful things that would come from this simple act:

• I have met and become friends with so many wonderful people. In fact, I have a super sweet friend who seems to read my mind.  She somehow knows just when I need to share with a friend and sends an email that lifts my spirits.    
• I was invited to be a contributor for Health Central.
• I get to work with RA Guy and Lene, two of the most awesome people one could ever meet, on  projects that promote a positive spin on inflammatory arthritis - something I desperately needed four years ago. 
• On my worst days, I can share my thoughts here on my blog and within the hour I have comments that make me cry, laugh, and know that I am not alone.
•  I started two other blogs: Natural Happy Being Me, a collection of simple daily events that bring happiness to my life and Born to Learn, Free to Learn, a blog that chronicles my philosophy and experiences about unschooling, an alternative form of homeschooling. 

Thank you to each of you who has read, commented, and shared my blog with others.  I have learned much from so many of you!  Good luck on your own adventures, enjoying the simple everyday beauty of life.  

Cathy   

Show Us Your Hands! Inflammatory Arthritis Community Collage Grows To 1000 Photos

(April 7, 2012) – Show Us Your Hands! is pleased to announce that its inflammatory arthritis community collage has grown to more than one thousand photos. This interactive collage includes the hands of individuals who live with many different types of inflammatory arthritis, and can be viewed online at www.showusyourhands.org/interactive-collage/. To commemorate this milestone, Show Us Your Hands! plans to release a new 1000 Hands Poster this coming May as part of Arthritis Awareness Month.

The one-thousandth photo was submitted by Kathy Winkelmann of Rochester Hills, Michigan. Kathy was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in December 2011. “I’m just learning how to come to terms with it and not let it take over my life,” she says. Kathy will receive a complimentary copy of the upcoming 1000 Hands Poster, in recognition of the fact her hand was officially the one-thousandth photo that was submitted to the community collage.

The interactive collage debuted in December 2011. People of all ages from around the world are represented in this community project, and new photos continue to be added to on a regular basis. This community collage project serves not only as symbol of the wonderfully supportive inflammatory arthritis community that continues to grow and connect online, but also acts as a reminder that people who live with these diseases should be proud of, and not ashamed of, their inflammatory arthritis hands.

“When I first came up with the idea for this collage, I thought it would include, at most, one or two hundred photos. I’m so excited to see that the collage has expanded to more than a thousand photos in such a short period of time,” says Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy, creator and one of the founding directors of Show Us Your Hands! “I can’t wait to see how much more our proud community of hands will continue to grow into the future!”

Autoimmune diseases occur when a body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In the case of autoimmune arthritis a person’s joints are frequently attacked, resulting in chronic pain and debilitating inflammation. The most common inflammatory arthritis diseases are Ankylosing Spondylitis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Psoriatic Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Sjogren's Syndrome, Still's Disease, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Show Us Your Hands! is an international awareness movement which serves to unite and inspire the inflammatory arthritis community. For more information, please visit www.showusyourhands.org. Show Us Your Hands! can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

A Birthday Wish

April marks not only the "4th season" of Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy writing and inspiring the inflammatory arthritis community, but it also marks RA Guy's 39th birthday.  This year RA Guy has a wish that will not only benefit himself, but also many of us dealing with inflammatory diseases.  His wish is for Show Us Your Hands! to become an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization by the end of 2012.  In order to make that happen, he is asking for a little help from the community.  To read more about his wish, visit Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy's blog.  While there, read through some of his posts and let yourself be inspired.  Also, don't forget to wish the old man "happy birthday".

Show Us Your Hands! Launches Photo Book Project to Help Raise Awareness of Inflammatory Arthritis

(February 14, 2012) - Show Us Your Hands! is pleased to announce its Photo Book Project, the latest in a series of successful initiatives aimed at uniting the community of individuals who are living with inflammatory arthritis, and increasing the public’s awareness of this group of diseases. This photo book will showcase both the hands and the stories of people from around the world who are proud of the fact that no matter how much pain and damage their hands have incurred, their hands still work, and their hands still do.

Starting today, Show Us Your Hands! invites individuals who wish to be included in this photo book to submit a brief explanation of what their hands do, and why their hands are special. A Call For Submissions form is available online at www.showusyourhands.com/photo-book-project. The deadline for entries is March 2, 2012. Individuals who are selected for inclusion in this photo book will be notified in mid-March.

The Show Us Your Hands! Photo Book Project will be released as part of Arthritis Awareness Month this coming May. The photo books will be bookstore quality, with top-notch binding, gorgeous paper, and professional printing. They will be available for purchase in more than 70 countries, and all of the net proceeds from the sale of these items will go towards the costs and expenses associated with current and future community projects by Show Us Your Hands! “By showing the world what our hands can do, these books will become portable ambassadors for increased awareness. We look forward to meeting the people behind the photos,” says founding member Lene Andersen.

Autoimmune diseases occur when a body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In the case of inflammatory arthritis a person’s joints are frequently attacked, resulting in chronic pain and debilitating inflammation. The most common inflammatory arthritis diseases are Ankylosing Spondylitis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Psoriatic Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Sjogren's Syndrome, Still's Disease, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Show Us Your Hands! is an international awareness movement which serves to unite and inspire the inflammatory arthritis community. For more information, please visit www.showusyourhands.com. Show Us Your Hands! can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Show Us Your Hands! Establishes Founding Committee to Help Raise Awareness of Autoimmune Arthritis

(January 24, 2012) - Show Us Your Hands! is pleased to announce the new collaborative effort of three leading advocates from the inflammatory arthritis blogging community. Lene Andersen (The Seated View) and Cathy Kramer (The Life and Adventures of Cateepoo) have joined forces with RA Guy (Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy) to organize creative community projects and effective awareness campaigns aimed at increasing the public’s understanding of autoimmune arthritis.

Show Us Your Hands! started as a community collage project in December 2011. The interactive digital collage and commemorative poster include hundreds of photos of the hands of individuals who live with inflammatory arthritis, and represent people of all ages from around the world. This inaugural project serves not only as a symbol of the wonderfully supportive inflammatory arthritis community that continues to grow and connect online, but also acts as a reminder that people who live with these diseases should be proud of, and not ashamed of, their autoimmune arthritis hands. New photos continue to be added to this community collage on a regular basis.

Upcoming initiatives will build upon the overwhelming success of and positive community reaction to this initial project. The three members of the founding committee are currently working on establishing an organizational roadmap, and in the coming weeks will be announcing the details of the first of many upcoming projects and campaigns. “Reading through the responses to Show Us Your Hands! and viewing the photos of all the hands, I am overwhelmed by the strength of our community.  Together we have built a relationship of understanding and compassion to replace what for many has been a void.  As Show Us Your Hands! moves forward, I am excited to see that strength grow,” says founding member Cathy Kramer.

Autoimmune diseases occur when a body’s immune system mistakenly attack healthy tissue. In the case of inflammatory arthritis a person’s joints are frequently attacked, resulting in chronic pain and debilitating inflammation. The most common inflammatory arthritis diseases are Ankylosing Spondylitis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Psoriatic Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Sjogren's Syndrome, Still's Disease, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Show Us Your Hands! is an international awareness movement which serves to unite and inspire the inflammatory arthritis community. For more information, please visit www.showusyourhands.com. Show Us Your Hands! can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.