According to the New World’s Dictionary of American English, an attitude is a belief that becomes so habitual that it reflects your thoughts, your disposition, even your world view. In that sense, your attitude certainly does affect your health.
Each year, I try to attend the Women Against Multiple Sclerosis luncheon because their speakers always inspire me. Three years ago, the speaker was Ronda Giangreco, a tall, attractive, extremely articulate woman whose story I vividly remember.
She said that one day she was an active, happily married woman with grown children, and the next day she was a disabled woman. The diagnosis was multiple sclerosis, and the prognosis was that she would be in a wheelchair with paralysis in much of her body.
By nature, she was a positive, can-do person, so instead of giving in to the constant fatigue by lying on the sofa and feeling sorry for herself, she made some important decisions. First, she said to herself, “Since I likely can’t walk by this time next year, I’ll make a list of places I want to walk, and do it now.”
Second, she decided that she would prepare a light supper for eight people every Sunday night for a year. The guests would be friends of different ages and interests. The only requirement was that each guest tell their own personal stories. In her book, “The Gathering Table,”she shares the amazing things that happened at the end of those 52 Sunday night suppers.
I was impressed when reading about her husband’s ability to help her when she needed it but never to hover. Her illness brought them closer together with a new understanding of what a truly happy marriage was like.
Though she didn’t mention faith as a part of the equation, I felt God’s presence in every page I read, as if God were saying to me: “Give thanks for the gift of life. To enjoy it fully, you need courage, hope, love, good food and my presence.”
Contact Nell Mohney at nellwmohney@comcast.net.