Recently, a young boy was studying my fingers. “Why do you have so many bandages?” he asked. “I have problems with my hands,” I answered. For a pre-schooler, that seemed the appropriate explanation. He looked concerned, or perhaps afraid. “You don’t have fingernails,” he said. “No, I don’t,” I said. Not exactly true. I have […]

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The election is over. It is not the result I had hoped for. For now, I am just trying to keep my head on straight and focus on what’s in front of me. And so, I took a walk Sunday afternoon, in the sharp, unflinching November light that reveals each detail of bark and lichen […]

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At last, the weather is warming here in Central Massachusetts, and we’re turning green again. I’m always struck by the subtleties of early spring, how the tiniest buds and flowers emerge before I notice. And then, all of sudden, so much color. It always gives me such a lift. You don’t have to go far […]

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One of the scariest aspects of a scleroderma diagnosis is to realize how deforming this disease can be. Everyone is different, and how your body changes will be unique to you. Early on in my progression, the skin on my face became so tight that I began to have discomfort blinking. For some, this facial […]

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Monday morning, while readying for the day, I was listening to a podcast interview by Krista Tippett with the celebrated children’s author Kate DiCamillo. In a wonderful, deep conversation, they explore the “mysterious fact that hope and heartbreak live so close, side by side, in real life,” and the power of story to make that […]

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After a bitter cold week, it was a wonderful break to visit the Worcester Art Museum’s annual Flora in Winter show this weekend. Timing could not have been better, and the floral artworks, as well as the museum’s art collection, gave me a boost. I hope some of my favorites here brighten your day, too. […]

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We’re having a brief respite from the cold before bitter weather arrives once again. So what better time to get a mental and spiritual break from winter than this past weekend at the Worcester Art Museum’s annual Flora in Winter exhibit. Local florists and garden club mavens create beautiful floral interpretations of art in nearly […]

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For those of us with scleroderma, especially women, beauty is a touchy subject. In so many ways, our bodies transform against our will, and whatever beauty (whatever that really means) we may once have had slips through the tips of our clawed fingers and the pores of our too-tight faces. It takes courage to face the […]

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