A Multiple Sclerosis Night Before Christmas - Positive Living with MS by Penelope Conway:

 

’Twas the night before the holidays, when all through my body,

Not a nerve was behaving, making me move rather shoddy.

My daily activities were chosen with care,

In hopes that each one could be done from a chair.

 

Each word that I spoke seemed to come out all wrong,

So much to be finished, I had to stay strong.

And John in the kitchen, and Missy making frappe,

Everyone busy working, no time for a nap.

 

When somewhere outside there arose such a clatter,

I peeked through the window, to see what was the matter.

I tried to move fast, to get to the door,

But I didn’t quite make it, and wound up on the floor.

 

As I lay on the rug, making sure nothing broke

Through tears I could see it, even gave it a poke.

Yes, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But the cane that I lost, earlier this year.

 

Then the front door cracked open, and before me he stood,

I immediately knew help had arrived which was good.

And more rapid than eagles, his phrases they came,

And he whistled and shouted, and called them by name.

 

“Now hang on, now slow down, now take more life pauses,

With stressful, and chaos, and tearful day causes.

To the end of the checklist, to the end of the hall,

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

 

And then I could see, as I wiped away tears,

Why, his words and his wisdom had settled my fears.

As I sat on the floor, too weak to even move

He knelt down beside me, and said I have nothing to prove.

 

He looked a bit weary, as a glance we exchanged,

And he said that my focus is what needs to be changed.

What’s important is family and those who are nearby.

(On that last one he actually said with a twinkly eye.)

 

Your weakness…it’s real. Your limits…real too.

MS has this way of making even brilliant days blue.

He smiled as he spoke, and I knew he was right.

No more pity party moments or MS fist fights.

 

He spoke not a word more as he helped me to stand.

I found myself smiling as I reached for his hand.

I sat on the couch as he gave me a nod,

He helped me to see that my thinking was flawed.

 

Then he sprang to his sleigh, and to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, “You’re doing great, don’t forget,

To pause more and smile, you have nothing to fret.”

 

*Penelope Conway was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in November 2011. She is the author and founder of Positive Living with MS (positivelivingwithms.com) where she uses humor and her own life experiences with MS to help others navigate this unpredictable journey. She believes that staying positive and holding onto hope is the key to waking up each morning with the strength to get through the day.

On this day in movie history - Fences (2016)

Fences

directed by Denzel Washington,

written by August Wilson,

based on the play by August Wilson,

was released in the United States on December 25, 2016.

Music by Marcelo Zarvos.

Cast:

Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, Saniyya Sidney, Christopher Mele, Lesley Boone, Jason Silvis, Toussaint Raphael Abessolo, Gregory Bromfield, Hanibal Chancellor, Cara Clark, Tra’Waan Coles, Sean Cummings, Ellwood Davis, Diesel Donlow, Mark Falvo, Joe Fishel, Kristie Galloway, Carlos Gonzalez, John W. Iwanonkiw, Floyd Jackson, Daniel James, Aristle Jones IV, Trudi Kennedy, Malik Abdul Khaaliq, Connie Kincer, Ashley Marie Lewis, Cecily Lewis, Wayne Leya, Frank McAleavey, Chris McCail, Terri Middleton, Kelly L. Moran, Mike Nardi, Phil Nardozzi, Frankie Palombi, Kameron Peters, Eric Rasmussen, Dillon Stark, Brian E. Stead, Will Tolliver Jr.

On this day in movie history - Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Silver Linings Playbook

written and directed by David O. Russell,

was released in the United States on December 25, 2012.

Based on the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick.

Music by Danny Elfman.

Cast:

Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, Julia Stiles, Paul Herman, Dash Mihok, Matthew Russell, Cheryl Williams, Patrick McDade, Brea Bee, Mary Regency Boies, Phillip Chorba, Anthony Lawton, Patsy Meck, Maureen Torsney-Weir, Jeff Reim, Fritz Blanchette, Rick Foster, Bonnie Aarons, Ted Barba, Elias Birnbaum, Matthew Michels, Pete Postiglione, Dicky Eklund Jr., Sanjay Shende, Mihir Pathak, Ibrahim Syed, Madhu Narula, Samantha Gelnaw, Tiffany E. Green, Tal Livshitz, Vlada Semenova, Zhan Paulovich, Lana Rossi, Richard Adams, Todd Anthony, Erica Lynne Arden, Robert Bizik, Joe Cappelletti, Louis Centanni, David Collihan, Jessica Czop, Alan Davis, Tom Delconte, Luisa Diaz, Christian Dorsey, Chris Dyer, Debra Efre, Cindy Engle, Mark Falvo, Liam Ferguson, Mark Finney, Erin Frederick, Jade Froeder, Anthony J Giampetro, Vaughn Goland, Shawn Gonzalez, Matt von Siegel, Thomas Walton, Jamell Washington, Volieda Webb, Jen Weissenberg, Brian Anthony Wilson, Mike Wilson, Lindsey Zajac.

On this day in movie history - Ali (2001)

Ali

directed by Michael Mann,

written by Michael Mann, Eric Roth, Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson,

based on a story by Gregory Allen Howard,

was released in the United States on December 25, 2001.

Music by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard.

Cast:

Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Bentt, Robert Sale, James Toney, Charles Shufford, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona Gaye, Michael Michele, Joe Morton, Paul Rodriguez, Bruce McGill, Barry Shabaka Henley, Albert Hall, Giancarlo Esposito, David Haines, Laurence Mason, LeVar Burton, David Cubitt, Leon Robinson, Ted Levine, Malick Bowens, Victoria Dillard, David Elliott, Brad Greenquist.

On this day in movie history - Michael (1996)

 

Michael

directed by Nora Ephron,

written by Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Peter Dexter and Jim Quinlan,

based on a story by Jim Quinlan and Peter Dexter,

was released in the United States on December 25, 1996.

Music by Randy Newman.

Cast:

John Travolta, Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins, Robert Pastorelli, Jean Stapleton, Teri Garr, Wallace Langham, Joey Lauren Adams, Carla Gugino, Tom Hodges, Catherine Lloyd Burns, Richard Schiff, Calvin Trillin, Donald J. Lee Jr., JoAnn Fregalette Jansen, David Harrod, Jane Lanier, John Hussey, Margaret Travolta, David M. Bernstein, Betsy Sokolow Sherman, Tracey A. Doyle, Blue Deckert, Deborah Nunez, Dell Aldrich, Kay Colvin, James N. Harrell, Peyton E. Park, Dianne Dreyer, Tim Harrison, Daniel Mimura, Mark Nutter, Thomas F. Evans, Jimmy Borto, Stephen Bruton, Dominic Paolo Testa, Tom Woodruff Jr.

On this day in movie history - Grumpy Old Men (1993)

Grumpy Old Men

directed by Donald Petrie,

written by Mark Steven Johnson,

was released in the United States on December 25, 1993.

Music by Alan Silvestri.

Cast:

Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Ossie Davis, Buck Henry, Christopher McDonald, Steve Cochran, Joe Howard, Isabell O'Connor, Buffy Sedlachek, John Carroll Lynch, Charles Brin, Oliver Osterberg, Joel Edwards, Steven Mark Hahn, Sharon Howard, Larissa Lowthorp, Katie Sagona, Katie Wahlquist.

On this day in movie history - Hoffa (1992)

Hoffa

directed by Danny DeVito,

written by David Mamet,

was released in the United States on December 25, 1992.

Music by David Newman.

Cast:

Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Armand Assante, J.T. Walsh, John C. Reilly, Kevin Anderson, John P. Ryan, Frank Whaley, Natalia Nogulich, Nicholas Pryor, Robert Prosky, Paul Guilfoyle, Karen Young, Cliff Gorman.

On this day in movie history - The Morning After (1986)

The Morning After

directed by Sidney Lumet,

written by James Hicks and David Rayfiel,

was released in the United States on December 25, 1986.

Music by Joel Goodman.

Cast:

Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Raul Julia, Diane Salinger, Richard Foronjy, Geoffrey Scott, James 'Gypsy' Haake, Kathleen Wilhoite, Don Hood, Fran Bennett, Michael Flanagan, Bruce Vilanch, Michael Prince, Frances Bergen, José Angel Santana, Bob Minor, George Fisher, Rick Rossovich, Laurel Lyle, Kathy Bates, Anne Betancourt, Patti Song, Betty Lougaris, Drew Berman, Sam Scarber, Michael Zand, Gladys Portugues, Corinna Everson, Selga Sanders.