My Birthday Cards to Make You Smile
By the time I go to sleep it will be my birthday. It is a strange occasion. Just about five years ago, my whole life changed when occasional RA flares became a full-blown disease.
- Like many of you: not very many people in my life knew what Rheumatoid Arthritis is. Most of them still don’t.
- I’ve tried at least as many new medicines as I have bent fingers. And my RA is only more stubborn now.
- I’ve learned more reading on my little laptop than I did in six years of college. Hey, I worked my way through.
- This website has grown to about 450 pages so that even I have to use the search button sometimes!
- Like most of you, I miss my old life. Especially since Roo has only seen me sick. He sometimes tells me that he doubts I can do something because I’m too sick. Ouch.
Can a person have a birthday resolution?
There is so much planned for the coming year. But I have one resolution: to learn to make it easier on myself. I don’t know how, but I’m going to try anyway.
Why do I usually do everything the hard way? I don’t know, but every little strip of code and every sign and image on this site was created in my laptop. The new wallpaper on the website is actually a photograph of fall leaves I shot in Atlanta last November, twisted and turned until it resembled my grandmother’s wallpaper.
At first, I used the freeware Paint Dot Net. Then eventually, I invested in a professional Corel program. Tonight I had some fun using free image generator websites. I had no idea these existed. I hope one of the signs makes you smile. These sites even have fortune cookies! Did anyone even know that my New Year’s fortune cookies were homemade?
Recommended reading:
- Don’t forget to check the Bulletin Board
- A list of posts to share with Non-RA’ers
- A list of posts about Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness
Kelly – wishing you a very Happy Birthday and I’m hoping that your birthday wishes do come true.
I just wish I could send you worldwide understanding of RA, genuine compassion from all you meet, a day free from pain, the physical ability to be the ‘old Kelly’ for a day (especially so Roo could see that part of you that will always be there) and of course a cure for RA!!
I am so pleased to read that you are going to try to be kinder to yourself this year.
I pray that you may experience some respite from your pain in general, but especially today and that the love of your family and friends sustain you today as always.
Happy Birthday Kelly and may God bless you today on your special day.
Gentle hugs
Kathryn
Thank you Kathryn. ♥
Happy Birthday Kelly!
I hope that you have a pain free day. You deserve it. I get your e-mails daily. Sometimes I get them just when I’m feeling that this awful disease is winning in my life. Then your encouragement gives me a boost. I am a christian woman and I know you are too. You are a real warrior encouraging others with your mighty pen.Thank God I have found your site.Keep fighting and encouraging others Kelly. Happy birthday.
Love, Debra A.
Thank you, Debra. It was not pain free like the rest of the last five years, but it was so blessed by people like you stopping by to let me know you’re there!! ♥
Happy Birthday Kelly. You have done an amazing piece of work. And all as a busy mom and thru chronic pain. I’m telling you, you gave a reverse gift – how can we gift back?
Beth, you do give every time you read or share here. Together, we are becoming a team and a force of support and change. I could not do that alone.
Hope you have a great birthday, Kelly. I love everything you’ve done with the site, everything you’ve done for us.
thanks, Kat.
Happy Birthday Kelly, I wish you a peaceful and happy day. Your new wall paper is a fine thing and fits in very nicely. I would have never guessed how it was made. Go take a break, eat a cupcake, and do what makes you feel good 🙂
Hi Lisa! Thanks for everything you do to help keep me going too!!
Happy Birthday Kelly! Here’s to the one lady who despite her trials and tribulations with RA has somehow managed to ‘put it all together’ for the rest of us. Thank you kindly, dear lady!
Hi Kelly, Wishing you a very happy birthday and want to thank you for providing this RA site. It’s everything we RA people need to know and want others to know about.
Best regards,
Ruthe
Happy Birthday! While your 5 year journey has been a horrible trial for you it has made the journey for the rest of us substantially less isolated and lonely. Thanks for all you do. Enjoy your special day.
Happy Birthday, Kelly! Loved the ‘cards’. If only…..
Thanks for giving all of us a gift on your special day.
I’m thankful for your online presence to give me hope and keep me going. You are a total blessing to a huge community of RA’ers.
Happy Birthday to you! You share this special day with my granddaughter! Just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate everything you have done here. I don’t post very much but I read all the time. And have recommended this site to others with RA. Thank you! And again, have a wonderful, pain free day!
Happy Birthday! (Or as we Orthodox say, Many Years – Chrono Polla!)
Happy Birthday Kelly. Hope you had a great day! Holy cow, you have 696 members now, thats amazing and a true testament to a job well done.
Happy birthday and thank you for making this challenge we are all facing a lot less lonely!
Thank you!!
Happy Birthday Kelly!
I am a day late~but able to get on the computer to type today 🙂 I hope your day was special, and though it may have been painful, my wish for you is to find something that works to stop the progression of this wicked disease! God bless you in this fight to cure RA!
Wow, Kim. Thank you. Perfect wishes.
Hope you had a Happy Birthday Kelly!!!
Thank you for developing and maintaining this site…
I am sure it is a lot of work!!!
Jewell
THANK YOU!! it means a lot to me. 🙂
Too funny !!!!! ty.
Happy Birthday Kelly! All the very best to you! Thank you for your work you do! You are amazing & have changed my life! I’m a warrior now & it feels great to stand up for myself & ask questions! Knowledge is power & will beat the pain down!
Happy Birthday, Kelly! I am constantly amazed at how much you’ve accomplished with this website. I have felt less alone knowing that there are others out there in easy reach who totally understand the ups and downs of this disease. I hope you will have a very special day – you deserve it!
my birthday
Happy Birthday Kelly! It looks like that cheesecake was yummy, I’m happy that you have a supportive family that cares for you. It makes all the difference in a patients life, having the support of family and friends.
You have opened up our lives to see that we don’t struggle alone and that others who share our pain also share our daily issue’s. Your able to make us laugh and cry together with your knowledge and talents. For that I thank you and as I always think while reading your thoughts, I am blessed to have such a talented Warrior by my side.
Addressing your list of daily items that hurt, I must add to it…door knobs, my right wrist is fused and often arriving home I’m unable to turn the doornob to enter my house, I look down at it, over-extend my fused wrist to turn it and the darn thing doesn’t open, I used to use my shoulder to help push the door but I no longer can due to arthritis setting into that shoulder. I am now trying to finish writing this paragraph and my neck is frozen in place, so lets add keyboards to the list too.
Happy Birthday Kelly! Your followers love and appreciate you and your hard work.