What do you cherish in your life?

This was the question that @techngirl asked in her contest to win this cool Steemit luggage tag and magnet.

This was my response.

My kids.

I cherish my children. I live for them. Everyone says that I know. Over the past year I have had a huge struggle with my health. Sometimes it feels like it will never end. It can be hard to keep trying and keep digging up the motivation to try again when I don't succeed.
My family have suffered a lot along side me. This is not me and my child, it is my teen and my son, her brother.
She is an amazing sister. Always there for him as a loving sister 100% of the time.
I know it has been hard for her. She has missed out on opportunities and I have not been able to be there for her when she needs me.
We are considering making some big changes and moving to be closer to my mother, to have support. This would mean her leaving her friends and everything she knows.
She is a BIG steemit fan. If I was to win I would give it to her for our move.
My children... I cherish them and I try harder at life everyday for them.

I ALSO CHERISH STEEMIT!

VERY MUCH.

I cherish Steemit connections.

Steemit has been my tether to the world. So many steemians over, almost two years, my belayer.

Steemit relationships are real. For me they were a timely replacement for the social / community / professional connections that were severed abruptly by illness.

I feel I would be lost at sea without these connections, they keep me afloat and able to tread water for another day, or just float and wait for the currant to take me where ever it is I may wash up.

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Steemit mail solidifies these connections.

As does genuine comments and interactions, appropriate responses to people's post.

When someone puts something out there and you feel it, relate to it, appreciate it, let them know.

Here you can see the tag and the magnet I received in the post yesterday from @tecnosgirl.

As you can see the magnet is in good company on our very messy fridge, the bag tag is destined for my daughters travel bag.

I carefully share pieces of my family and home.

It was my husband that told the Steemit world of my illness.
His post was 9 months ago, and titled,

Sharing this isn’t easy for me, and I’m not comfortable about it. But this community has become so important to @girlbeforemirror (my wife) over the past year.

We are still amazed by the way we were supported and loved by our Steemit friends.
I had been quietly posting generalised ambiguous posts about our situation, but it was @azurejasper who told it as it was, and rallied our new friends, on steemit.

Life hasn't gotten any easier for us. It's a lot harder actually, as we come to terms with the fact that I may not improve.

It has taken some time for me to adjust to that admission. The disclosure of my illness as well as coming to terms with it being protracted, has been a process.

I want this travel tag to represent a transition.

From a place of illness to a decision to now post about my journey to wellness. Not a journey BACK to wellness. I don't want to go back, I want to look forward and find a new balance. Maybe for the first time, a real life balance.

Most family and friends in the real world proved to be Fair-weathered.

I had so many friends before.
We have been very much alone in our day to day struggle. It truly has been a struggle. One that has become very difficult.

I want to briefly mention here what it is I have, in the context of illness.

After this post I intend to begin a series of posts entitled-

Journey Towards Wellness and a Genuine Life Balance.

Shifting the focus from illness to wellness.

Redefining from a positive perspective and hopefully reshaping outcomes in the process.

I truly do believe that thinking does have the potential to change circumstance.

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I have a connective tissue disorder, called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

Source
It greatly impacts my ability to participate in life. It causes among many other features pain and fatigue.
This post for instance has exacerbated my pain, so I am going to cut it short here and link a great website instead of attempting to paraphrase.

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Thank you @tecnosgirl and Steemit people all over the globe who enrich my day and make me feel a part of something.