Her name is Debbie Christensen. I first met
Debbie at a Tournament of Champions event, an event for the top fundraisers for
the National MS Society.What a thrill it was for us to be
there with this extraordinary group of people. Movers and shakers from all
across the country who as individuals had each raised at least $10,000 for the
MS Society. I had the chance to spend time with almost everybody there except
for one person and that was Debbie. But she made a big impression on me.
Fortunately we were invited back the next year
and so was Debbie. I made it a point to spend some time with her and get to
know her a little bit and what an extraordinary person she is.
The first thing that you notice about Debbie is
her smile. She is beaming with a huge smile that you could only assume is there
24 hours a day. She is happy, inspired, grateful, thrilled to be with people
and to be included and recognized for who she is and what she does. She is an
inspiration.
She is also someone who has been very impacted by
her MS. She has a caregiver with her 24 hours a day. She rides in a reclining
wheelchair. She speaks very slowly and softly and yet has much to say. She
stays active, involved, has a large family (over 200 cousins) and a lot of
friends. This past November I had the opportunity to spend more time with
her and I'm happy to say that now I am one of her friends.
Why does she inspire me? Because regardless of
her circumstances she wakes up happy every day. Despite her seemingly limited
abilities, she is there making a difference all the time. And I can only
guess that what ever her MS has taken away from her physical abilities, it has
added to her spirit.
Debbie makes me want to do more. She makes me
want to be more appreciative. She makes me want to have an impact on people and
the world around me.
But most of all she makes me smile.
May you wake up happy every day of the coming year. May you find an opportunity for gratitude in everyone of your life experiences. May something as simple as your smile be an inspiration to those around you. May the new year be filled with miracles and blessings for you and your family.
Happy new year everyone.
May you wake up happy every day of the coming year. May you find an opportunity for gratitude in everyone of your life experiences. May something as simple as your smile be an inspiration to those around you. May the new year be filled with miracles and blessings for you and your family.
Happy new year everyone.
Thank you, Michael. Debbie reminds me of my brother, although he is not an activist. But he finds reasons to laugh despite all the impediments to enjoying other aspects of life. Isn't it amazing how resilient the human spirit is, how persistent? I will try to practice what you preach, and remember to be grateful for my brother's smile. I'm so glad we met and chatted in Dallas.
ReplyDeleteMonia Joblin
Thank you very much, Michael.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the article, so I translated it into Spanish so it's available for people in my country.
You can find it here:
http://www.humedadeseneldesvan.com/2012/12/alguien-que-me-inspira.html
Happy new year!