Yesterday was graduation day. I cheered as my niece received her 8th grade promotion and teared watching my nephew receive his high school diploma. So proud of both of them! It was a great and emotional day filled with special moments and wonderful speeches.
The valedictorian at my nephew’s graduation gave a funny and moving speech. She had the entire football stadium laughing with jokes about her mixed heritage – her mother is Mexican and her father is Jewish. She apologized to everyone unable to find a seat because her mother had her entire side of the family seated in the home-side bleachers. Such a witty girl, and by the time she changed the tone of the speech she held everyone’s attention.
Her tone changed as she went on to point out and talk about individual students – not the jocks, or the cheerleaders, or the ASB officers though. Her list was filled with the classmates who went mostly unnoticed over the past four years – students who stayed in the background for one reason or another, yet still made up the unique fabric of her graduating class. I found myself in tears over stories of students I had never met, and who maybe even my nephew had never met. She painted such a lovely picture of how each of them were individuals, and they should embrace who they are, and they should all be proud of the contribution they made to their graduating class. Her message really impressed and inspired me.
I woke up this morning thinking about it, and about how it applies to so much more than just her graduating class. I laid in bed thinking about how many of us with Fibromyalgia and chronic illness are like those students who remain in the background. We struggle to participate. We struggle to reach our full potential. We struggle to contribute to our homes, and our jobs, and our communities. Our lives are a struggle, and yet we still are – each of us – uniquely individual and valuable.
It is hard to honor your contribution when all you can see is what you are no longer able to do. It is hard to embrace who you are when all you can do is miss who you used to be. Chronic illness is hard, but as I once heard a very wise girl say, the fabric of our lives would be completely different if just one “student” made the choice not to complete this journey. Have compassion for yourself. Accept who you are. Embrace your individuality and honor your contribution. I do!
Great post! It’s so true. With fibromyalgia it really is a struggle to contribute anything. I always feel like I’m barely keeping up to the lowest of low standards.
I’ll try to embrace my individuality and honor my contribution. It’s just hard on days when I feel too tired to do anything. Like today.
Thank you for the pep-talk! I needed it!
Talk about synchronicity. I was just looking at old photos of me doing things I can’t do anymore: biking, hiking, camping. And feeling really really bad. Thank you for writing this, and reminding me to have compassion and respect for myself even now. What a wonderful speech that must have been. 🙂 Hugs.
Great post Sis! Yes, she was motivating, I truly loved her inspiration. She reminded me of you, very witty, intelligent and kind hearted. Her speach was not all about her and how she was at the top of her class. She took the time to notice others in her class who had faced major stuggles. She made me cry too and yet inspired me. Awesome young lady, she will make a difference in this world like you have!!!! I know with FM you and others struggle every day. I know there are days you don’t want to get out of bed. I know there are days you feel like giving up. But somehow you find the way to face the day. So I applaude you and everyone with FM. I send my good thoughts and keep you all in my prayers. I send a big HUG and hope you have a great day!!! LOVE YOU
I have struggled for 15 yrs to find value in my fibro life. The most I do is fill voids in peoples’ lives. In many ways, and too many times, I have felt the world would be better off without me to drain finances, emotions, physical abilities and tempers.
But this is no place for my troubles. I am envious of those whose self-esteem is so wholly intact that they feel valuable despite amazing odds, and who find ways to contribute to society.
Thank you for urging on those who try. Right now, I’ve got to work on me.
It is inspiring to know that this girl has the capacity to see the people others do not. She will no doubt go on to do so much with her life and impact more people.
We have an invisible condition, some of us can wonder around our homes and towns without anyone seeing the pain, discomfort, changes and losses we have suffered. Fibromyalgia is truly different than most conditions in so many ways.
It is important to come to acceptance of self and honor your contributions to family, friends, work and society. I’m so glad you reminded us. We are limited in so many physical ways but not to dream or to obtain a new way exist in life.
This was a wonderful post, a gentle but timely reminder for many. We are not invisible.
“…many of us with Fibromyalgia and chronic illness are like those students who remain in the background. We struggle to participate. We struggle to reach our full potential. We struggle to contribute to our homes, and our jobs, and our communities. Our lives are a struggle, and yet we still are – each of us – uniquely individual and valuable.”
Beautifully written, thank you for this post!
“It is hard to honor your contribution when all you can see is what you are no longer able to do. It is hard to embrace who you are when all you can do is miss who you used to be.”
Those two sentences really sum up the largest part of the challenge of living with Fibromyalgia for me. How amazing to be able to summarize such a huge situation with those two sentences! Within that, you can find the source of so many different battles we face . . . and it is so obvious that I am not alone in facing them when I read this. It is always interesting how easy it is feel we are alone and to feel that we are the only ones going through what we do . . . but the truth is that although we are all unique with unique backgrounds and experiences, our struggles are so similar. There is beauty in that, it is a gift, for we can remind one another of the importance we have for being, and for being who we are now, in this present moment.
Much love,
Amy