Went out with Linda yesterday.  Not much of a social event ...we had to take Sean to have his wisdom teeth pulled.  Poor Linda, how frustrating this illness has to be at times.  Restricted to a wheel chair, unable to hug her child when he most needs it must have been heartbreaking for her.  So I held him, helped him to the car, changed the gauze in his mouth, and wiped the blood from his chin.  Everytime I looked up at her  she was in tears.  All the way home she thanked me  for my help, for driving them there and taking care of her boy.  I told her, you took care of him, I was just your hands.  All a child needs, and wants  is to have his Mummy  with him, and she was there. 
Linda was diagnosed with MS when Sean was only two.  The disease progressed slowly, but by the time Sean was ten she was completely paralized and could only move her head.  Linda was one of the first people I met when I moved to Montreal and we  became  fast friends.  She's this fiesty, organized, funny spirit, confined to a chair but her upbeat personality sometimes has you forget she's  physically challenged.  We go out shopping alot, have been to a few concerts, (going to Rod Stewart) in February, and just hang out.  I think we're kindrid spirits.    Although sometimes our outings can be taxing on me with my fibromyalgia, I enjoy her company so much I suck it up.  I just have to prepare myself for the day and make sure I have my advil handy. :)  She' always  saying to me, at least my  illness isn't  painful ...Jeesh....Anyway, this week we'll be baking and wrapping gifts.  Her husband left a couple of years ago, and she's alone with her son, so I will help her get her Christmas stuff organized and then have her here for Christmas.  I'm  her hands...and she tells me how she wants everything done, and I do it.  We share a glass of wine, laugh, and little does she know what an inspiration she is to me.  I think  divine intervention had everything to do with our meeting. She's made me a better person.  I 'm blessed to have her as my friend.

Today has been alotted a "catch up day," thanks to the icestorm on the weekend. The housework has piled up to ridiculous, but I am so thankful for the hum of the washing machine.
The nightmare began at three thirty on Friday of last week, when the power went out. I was sitting in the kitchen talking to my children after school when everything went silent.  At first, we thought...well this isn't so bad, we'll make a fire in the fireplace, cuddle, talk, keep warm, bond. Very nice you would think. Well, after three days of 'bonding' we were all freezing, grumpy, and wanting life as we knew it to resume. Thankfully , Monday at noon, the lights went on. I'm sure our screams could be heard from miles around. My son Jonathan was running around doing the 'power dance' the dogs were barking, and my daughter and I were screaming with joy.  Anyone who might have been looking in would have surely thought we were crazy. Frankly, I think we all had gone a little mad. One thing for sure though,  I will never take anything for granted again, Spa , splah... just a simple shower was heaven.