Halt!

True friends stay with you through thick and thin. Right now I'm thick. I need to lose about 30 pounds. Who's still with me?

Many of you know that I became ill a few years back. It's a neurologic disorder caused by stress, acute anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, complete burn out and panic attacks. I'm also bipolar. I take my meds every day and relax as much as possible, to keep things as calm as possible.

I'm on permanent disability now, and when I was waiting for the decision by SSDI, we were in deep financial crisis. That's where my wonderful friends stepping up. We received support from Church and friends that I haven't even seen for many, many years.

The generosity of these people has been overwhelming, to say the least. We've also needed to move a couple of times and the support response was amazing. I certainly don't deserve all of the incredible friends who have helped us.

Some were unable to give, even though they wanted to, so prayed for us instead. Prayers, to me, are just as important as lending a helping hand. In fact, I'm sure that the prayers helped me get out of a horrible bout with depression. Why was I depressed?

I've been running a thousand miles per hour for 41 years, now, trying to prove something to someone for no good reason. The result was a complete melt down. My brain and body just couldn't handle it anymore. I had no choice in the matter. This condition manifests itself in pseudo seizures. Under stress of any kind, I'm like a fainting goat. I just drop like a rock. So, I don't drive and stay in my house nearly all of the time. That's the part that caused me to spiral.

I still get help from friends, but mostly in the form of rides to doctor appointments. I have one friend who gives me rides at the drop of a hat. She is an awesome friend.

I have been blessed with many true friends. You know who you are. May God richly bless each of you.

See you tomorrow.