With Grace and Peace

Some people handle sickness and disease with such grace and peace, it is amazing. Two people come to mind. My own mother who handled TB and osteoporosis so gracefully. The second was my mother-in-law Rosemary C. who had M.S. for years. When I first met her she was still able to do the household chores and the cooking. She had just quit driving as the disease had made her feet numb and she couldn’t feel the brake or the accelerator any more.

Mary Casey & RoseMary Casey (l to r)

My Mom with Nikki and Lance

As the years went by the M.S. progressed and she gradually went down hill. She went from a mother of four and doing all the things mothers do to being almost totally helpless to do anything. Anyone who is familiar with the disease knows it is a progressive down hill ride. You have what is called episodes then you stabilize for awhile. These times are called plateaus. It’s like going down a set of stairs you may pause on a stair, but the next step is almost always down not up.

Rosemary took all this in her stride. She was then confined to a wheelchair. Soon she was completely bedridden. I never came into her bedroom to hear her complain or feel sorry for herself. She may have but I never saw it. She always had a smile for me and for her grandchildren.

My mother and Rosemary had something very much in common as they both had strong faith. You know I yell and complain about a hangnail, my mother and my mother-in-law surely put me to shame. God Bless both of you. I was privileged to have both of you in my life.