Ryan,

I agree completely....the illness may always be with us & new things may pop up along lifes path. What is important is determining how we are going to live with them. If we let them control our lives or whether we control them is the most important decision we have to make.

Physical illnesses can be learned how to live with & still enjoy the wonderful things we have in life, why can't mental illnesses be handled the same way. An illness is an illness & we take care of it & control it he best we can & go on living the life we are given. Once we learn what it is that we are dealing with & how to care for it then we can go from there. Symptoms (physical &/or mental) will come up & we will have to handle them....it may mean adjusting meds, therapy, maybe even the hospital once in a while. We have to take care of them because that is just part of taking care of ourselves. It seems where we fail is to not look for the good things in our lives to focus on & dwell in the bad that happenes. We may get knocked down at times, but getting back up is the most important job of all.

It is important to remember that a diabetic, asthmatic, or similar, is not defined by their illness & we don't have to be either. It is there, we handle it & go on with life, not ignoring it, but not dwelling on it either. When we put things in their place in our lives, things seem to run smoother.

I know this is the philosophic Debbie speaking & not always the me...knowing & doing are sometimes very hard. But if it is the goal that is aimed for then it will be achieved.

Debbie