Just a thought

Not going to lie

Been a bad day

Shed a few tears

Friends have prayed.

 

Frustrating as hell

When the doctor says no

But I can’t give up

I will continue to go.

 

Just throw me a hug

When I’m feeling down

I’ll do the same thing for you

I’m not clowning around.

 

We need each other

When others don’t understand

We’ll fight our unique battles

Until God takes our hand.

 

Written by my feelings,

Terry Shepherd

08/01/2018

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies

yield: 30 COOKIES

prep time: 10 MINUTES

cook time: 20-25 MINUTES

total time: 30 MINUTES

Buttery and delicious, these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Cookies are the perfect dessert. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and your taste buds will thank you!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1 package (12 oz) Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate melting wafers
• 1 Tbsp coarse sea salt, for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 15×10-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with powdered sugar and peanut butter until creamy. Add in flour, salt, and milk and beat until combined. Use heat from your hands to combine the crumbs of the dough.
3. Drop dough into center of baking sheet, and using the heels of your hand, press dough into a large rectangle. You want the dough to be the same thickness throughout, so keep pressing until you have a rectangle about 12×10-inches and about 1/4-inch thick. Press any extra dough crumbs into the rectangle.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges begin to lightly brown. Remove from oven and immediately cut into strips using a pizza cutter. Cool completely.
5. Melt dark chocolate melting wafers in a microwave safe bowl for one minute. Stir until smooth (you may need to heat an additional 30 seconds). Dunk bottom of each cookie into melted chocolate and place back onto parchment paper. Once all the bottoms have been dunked, drizzle remaining chocolate over the tops and immediately sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days. ENJOY.

This delicious recipe brought to you by SHUGARY SWEETS
https://www.shugarysweets.com/dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-shortbread-cookies/

Neurological Diseases

If only we had a brain! Remember that from the Wizard of Oz? Well, who knew the brain could be such a problem. It certainly is when you are faced with Neurological Diseases. Doctors can’t fix what they can’t investigate.

 

You need to have expired here on earth in order to study the brain. This was the case for my brother and so many others dealing with this issue. I went to be fitted today at an Orthopedic specialist for my new shoe and brace. The hope was, that the curling of my toes may stop curling any further.

 

After so many tries of various gadgets the sad news came that my brother used to hear. We just can’t help you. Perhaps a neurological therapist.

 

I have not heard of this but I am willing to look one up and try if it is not too far a way. The doctor said today that there is a possibility of my toes curling so far under that I would walk on the underneath of my toes. Ouch! Just thinking and visualizing this made me cringe.

 

The good news is I am no worse off for the moment and yet no better. The hope that those with this illness carry for a cure or some gadget to make life a little easier to manage is our dream.

 

I am not crushed. I pushed and studied and joined groups to learn about Multiple System Atrophy and I will fight just as hard for myself as I did for him and for others.

 

My son is going to come over tomorrow and try to tighten up the scooter I have. It is wobbly in the steering and the seat seems loose. Of course it isn’t new. It is the one I bought my brother. If it doesn’t help, I may have to see if I can get a more sturdy one.

 

This doesn’t mean I will give up walking, oh no way! I do have bad days when standing is very difficult, and on those days, I would ride the scooter. I wonder if there are any programs that help to purchase or donate one? I don’t know. I know Medicare helps but there is a 20 percent part I would have to pay and I remember from my brother, that is pretty expensive just on that part.

 

Guess it is time to start praying for some more help. Things will work out. I know they will. I know my condition won’t get better and I accept this. God won’t give me anything I can’t handle and he will give me the strength to get through what he gives me.

Alan Alda and our common ground

God made us each unique.  There is no one else out there like me, or at least I hope not, because I still haven’t figured out who I am and what I am supposed to do here until he takes me home again.

Then why is it that we make such a lime light when something bad happens to us? We talk about it to everyone who will listen. We think about it and ask ourselves why me. We have our own crying parties and then we straighten ourselves back up again; ready to conquer all.

For me, I know my part of Parkinson’s is very common. I don’t know the statistics; but most people say something like, Oh, you have Parkinson’s. I know so and so  who’s father or mother had that too.

When the news came out yesterday that Alan Alda now has confirmed his diagnosis of Parkinson’s; suddenly I was shocked.

Why was I shocked? Beats me. I perhaps thought I was the only one in the world with it? Alan Alda said he has  had a good life and that this disease will never define him.

Wow, what an attitude. He is a big, super star and he got Parkinson’s, just like I did. My friends, I don’t know the reasons we get this or that interruption in our lives. I know that God knows and this was in his plan for me.

I will continue to talk to people about my illness because I hope that someone has a tip of how I can live a better day with my symptoms. I will continue to ask for prayers from my Parkinson’s groups.

I will continue to live life as normal as I did before. I probably will still have my very own pity parties because I am human and have weak moments, just like you and Alan Alda.

We are unique, as I stated earlier, but when a bump comes in our path and we stumble over it, we become less unique and find common ground with others seeking comfort and cures.

Writing this makes me sit up a little straighter in my chair. It expands my lungs a little deeper as I take a stronger breath, ready to tackle what is laid in my path.