Home Community Newsletter Vol 4 Issue 149

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 4 Issue 149 April 23, 2003

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Welcome to the 149th issue of the Arthritis Insight Newsletter. All back issues will be posted at community/newsletter
Feel free to pass this newsletter around to others who may be interested.

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The information in this newsletter should not take the place of advice and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes in your treatment plan. Information presented here is the opinion of the authors and has not necessarily been approved or endorsed by the medical advisors.

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Notes From Tina
(Tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

Greetings everyone! Yes, Tina's still out but the sun is shining and we're muddling through.

Those of you who frequent A.S.A. (newsgroup: alt.support.arthritis) will undoubtedly know that there has been a huge loss to the group. Larry Rasmussen passed away last Thursday leaving his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many, many friends to mourn his loss.

While it's comforting to know that his suffering is over, it's also very hard to let go.

No matter how badly he was feeling, Larry would always step back and find a humorous spin to the situation. If you'd done good, he'd praise you. If you were wrong, he told you. If you were feeling low, he'd comfort you. And If you needed a kick in the tush, he stood behind you (Ow!).

I'll miss Larry. For his wit, for his charm, for his humor, for his compassion, and most of all for his devotion to people. He was one of a kind and the sandbox will never be the same.

~Kim

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Ron's Ramblin's
(Ron@arthritisinsight.com)
Ron Griffin aka IndyRon

It amazes me just how loyal and supportive the folks here at AI are, and just how much we need each other. Thank you for your support of the site and more importantly, thank you for your support of each other. With that, I will make one final plea for your financial support of the site. If you have not, and feel that you can help keep us on line, please click on the fundraiser link and do what you can. Thank you.

Speaking of support, it never ceases to amaze me how many people dont realize that our site exists and that significant amounts of information and support is available. Yesterday I spent the afternoon replacing glasses that had decided to go swimming Saturday without me. (dont ask). As I was at the optometry shop, and was viewing frames, the clerk noticed my difficulty in getting up and down to look at the frames on the lower levels and we started chatting. Her Mom had a hip replaced from RA a year or so ago and she (daughter) felt frustrated because she was not sure what was going on with her mom with treatment and meds and was not sure how to go about checking things out. Of course I was certainly more than willing to recommend AI to her, and suggest that she try the various resources available here. At least now, she will have the resources to educate herself and to assist her mom in the decision making process and in dealing with the doctors. I wish them both well.

((((HUGS TO EVERYONE)))))

~Ron

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Your Weekly Giggle
Popcorn, Post from A.S.A.
Larry Rasmussen, 12/22/02

It was an otherwise boring Thursday night in May of 1979. Susan was in bed.
I was watching an HBO Comedy Special with Freddie Prinz (Chico and the Man)
and decided I wanted some fresh popcorn. We had one of those Sunbeam Hot
Air Corn Poppers. You know, the one with the little pocket you put a couple
of pats of butter in and it would melt and drip on to the corn as it popped
and went down the chute. I'd never used that popper before. I got it out
of the cupboard. Found the bag of good ol Orville. The popper had an
opening on the side opposite the chute and the words "Fill Here" and an
arrow pointing up to this opening.

Now in my exuberance over operating this modern gadget I managed to insert a two letter word between the "Fill" and the "Here." That two letter word was "TO." Which I did. I thought that was quite a bit of corn. About a half of a pound. But, have to follow the instructions on the machine, right? Got down a medium sized bowl, put a few pats of butter in the bin and turned on the machine. Stood in the doorway so I could see the TV in Living Room while I waited for my fresh popcorn.

After a few minutes I glanced over at the popcorn popper and so the bowl was
over-flowing just a tad. Got down a larger bowl and switched it with the
full on since corn was still popping. Went into the Living Room and sat
down to watch the comedians and munch my popcorn. About 5 minutes went by
and I wanted a Pepsi so I went to the kitchen to get one from the fridge.
The popcorn popper was still popping and the large bowl was overflowing onto
the counter and the floor. I went over and looked, this time at the
back of the popper where the "Fill Here" opening was. That's when I noticed that somehow the word "to" had disappeared, moved, melted or been stolen.

And...

the intake tube was at least half full yet. So, I got out the roasting pan.
The one we use for the Thanksgiving Turkey when we are expecting a small
infantry battalion for dinner. Put it under the popper which I'd placed on
a metal canister to raise it so the corn would fall into the roaster. Got
my Pepsi and went back to watching HBO. To make things simple and
short, I filled the roaster and the machine was still spewing out popcorn.

Got a Hefty Trash Can Liner to which I rigged a coat hanger and two glasses to keep it open and set the popper so it spewed into the trash can liner. When the thing finally stopped popping (I knew exactly how Mickey felt in the
Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence in Fantasia) I dumped the roaster, the larger
bowl and what I got from the counter and the floor into the trash can liner.
That plastic bag was well over half full.

Susan asked the next morning where the big bag of popcorn had come from. When I explained the events of the preceding evening she couldn't, or wouldn't, stop laughing for hours.

Hey, I was voted best human in El Paso by the pigeons, ravens, wrens and
swallows. Those birds really like popcorn. Even without butter or salt.

Be well,
Larry

PS Now all I use is the pre-bagged Pop Secret in the microwave. Yes, I
remove the cellophane wrapping first!

Check out all the jokes at:
fun/jokes
Send yours in today!

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Tina's Tips
Tina@arthritisinsight.com

Arthritis can affect your ability to do even the simplest of tasks. I've heard some people say, "Accept your limitations." I'm not sure accepting them is the way to go. I prefer to challenge those limitations, work around them, finding alternate ways of achieving the same goal. Every week I'll share some tips I've found to work around those annoying limitations and I hope all of you will send in your tips too. We may not be the next Martha Stewart, but sometimes the simplest things can help so much.

A big thank you to Diane W. for this week's tip :o)

Here's something I tried on Sunday and it really helped. I was doing the
laundry and getting tired of getting the kids to bring in the dried clothes
so I could fold them in the kitchen. There sat my walker which I am
currently not using. I got a canvas carry bag and attached it to the
walker. I put the clean clothes from the dryer in the bag and rolled it into
the kitchen where I then unloaded it. WoW! Not only did it make the
carrying easier, I wasn't dropping socks along the way that I had to bend
over and pick up. I was also able to use my cane to walk and that's a good
thing so I don't fall. Later I went to the grocery store and used the same
set up to bring the groceries into the house from the car. Saves the
joints, saves the back, keeps me from falling and definately made both tasks
a lot easier. I'm sure that there are lots of other things this idea can be
adapted to. It's actually so simple, I bet lots of folks here are already
doing this.

Check out more tips at living/tips.html and send in yours today to Tina@arthritisinsight.com Keep those tips coming!

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Whats New
Check out all the latest updates at updates.html

News
All the news you can use for your arthritis and general health.
news

Birthday Board
Three new ones added. When's yours?
community/birthday

Fundraiser 2003
Only a few more weeks to get those donations in! Every little bit not only helps but is greatly appreciated.
We'd like to thank Linnea Murray, Trish DeFalco, Tonya McCoy and Judy Misner for their generous donations!
help/fundraiser2003

Arthritis & Depression
SC shares her story about feeling blue.
living/depression

Arthritis & Pets
Linn tells us how her dog Max is a very therapeutic pet.
living/pets

Warrior Angels
I really dread updating this section because it always means we've lost one of our members. Larry Rasmussen, a true warrior angel, husband, father, grandfather, veteran, friend - passed away Thursday April 17, 2003. He will be greatly missed by all of us.
angels.html

Medications
We've added Humira to our medication index.
medical/meds

Member Stories
Ashley's keeping a Humira Journal.
community/stories

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Arthritis Insight Chat
community/chat

The Arthritis Insight Chatroom is a great place to spend a cold, snowy evening. Stop in a warm up with your friends next to the fireplace. We always have hot cocoa and coffee ready!

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
Char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello friends-it has been a long week for me. My elderly mother was in and out and in and out of the hospital within 48 hours. But she is doing much better now. And over on ASA we lost a well loved friend/ASA family member, Larry Rasmussen. And as a result of the stress and changing weather and doing too much over the holiday weekend, I am flaring. But to quote my ASA friend Harv, "and so it goes..."

But we still have to eat, so lets get cooking!!

This week is going to be simple kinds of foods that don't require too much prep time.

How about 20 Minute Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
1 large egg
lightly beaten
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs (or I use regular bread crumbs that I add Italian spices to)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1-3/4 cups spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Place chicken between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Dip chicken in egg, and dredge in bread crumbs. Cook chicken in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Spoon spaghetti sauce over chicken; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheeses and parsley; cover and simmer 5 additional minutes or until cheeses melt.

YIELD: 4 servings.


Alfredo Sauce with Fettuccine

INGREDIENTS

1 pound uncooked fettuccine
1 tablespoon butter
1-1/4 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. 2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half-and-half, cheese, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; add pasta, tossing gently to coat.

You can easily add mock crab or chicken to this recipe for a heartier meal.

YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 1-1/2 cups)

And how about a quick, no cook dessert recipe?

Banana Pudding

INGREDIENTS

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 bananas, sliced
1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers


DIRECTIONS

1 In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.
2 Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.

Just a reminder, my husband and I will be hosting Gimpfest 2003, here in Iowa. I want this to be the biggest and best Gimpfest EVER. So please try to attend. It will be more fun than you can imagine. And you will want to attend more. Find details at www.fadedjeans.com/iowa.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or recipes that you would like to share, send them to Char@arthritisinsight.com.

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The FDA
April 22, 2003
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00894.html

FDA Commends Drug Industry Commitment to Report Counterfeit Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration commends the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing Association (PhRMA), the nation's largest representative of the drug industry, for its commitment to actively help FDA identify and remove counterfeit drugs from the United States market.

The commitment, which was announced by PhRMA's board of directors, obligates member companies to "notify FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations, by telephone or in writing, within five working days of determining that there is a reasonable basis to believe their product has been counterfeited."

"This action adds to our tools for protecting the public against counterfeit drugs," said FDA Commissioner Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "The FDA works with local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities to protect Americans from the health risks of bogus drugs. PhRMA's members already assist in these efforts by actively investigating credible reports about the distribution of counterfeit drugs. This formal collaborative agreement will strengthen the FDA's ability to assure the safety and effectiveness of drugs used by Americans."

The quality of drugs in this country is very high, giving the public confidence that the drugs they buy in the United States are authentic.

Currently when the Agency gets a report of a counterfeit drug, first and foremost, the FDA works with consumers, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, state agencies and others to determine the composition of the unsuitable product and the extent to which it has been introduced into the distribution chain. This allows the Agency and others to take steps that will minimize the public's exposure to counterfeit drugs.

Moreover, the additional pledge of PhRMA's more than 60 member companies to report such verified incidents to the FDA in a timely fashion will further help the agency to take swift enforcement actions, when necessary, to protect the public health.

As the drug manufacturing and distribution system has become more global in nature and as health care costs have increased, protecting against counterfeit, adulterated or substandard drugs has become more challenging. Thus it is important that members of the drug distribution chain follow the lead of the pharmaceutical industry to work in a proactive collaborative fashion with the FDA to address this problem.

PhRMA's voluntary program to report counterfeit drugs to the FDA is scheduled to begin on May 1st, 2003. Both the FDA and PhRMA will assess the value of this program at the end of one year.

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Member Stories
DeAnna's Story

Hi, my name is DeAnna and I am 31 years old, I was first affected with RA about 8 years ago. I woke up one morning to find my entire body swollen and I was unable to get out of bed. My husband dressed me, carried me to the car and drove me to the emergency room. Prognosis wasn't easy, at first they stated lupus, but then further test showed I had psoriatic arthritis. I had flares of psoriasis since I was about 10 years old. Once the arthritis hit, the psoriasis came back for good. The rheum dr. put me on steroids and pt for about 8 months, then everything seemed to disappear. Right! After having my daughter, my second child (my son is 6 yrs my daughter 3 yrs) the arthritis came back with a vengeance. My fingers are all knotted and every little thing makes them feel like the bones are coming through my skin. I also have it in the elbows, knees, jaw (left side), ankles and feet. I am also a diabetic, with excellent control though, so I have to watch meds that cause too much nausea, because I HAVE to eat, no way around that. My current rheum dr. took me off vioxx, which is what my other dr. currently had me on, and put me on MTX. I'm up to 10mg oral and I am on my second week. Nausea is pretty moderate, but I try and drink a lot of juice and milk to keep my sugars steady. Everything I see on this site, seems to say that MTX is a wonder drug. I hope you all are right, because I can't even put socks on my little girl without tears streaming down my face from pain. If something is dropped and I have to bend over, I flinch before I even start moving because I know how much pain is going to be inflicted by bending over and worse getting up! I would love to correspond with anyone who can help give me a little lift. I'm usually pretty good, but with winter coming now, the downs will come as sure as the extra pain and swelling. Anyone who has any other info on MTX would be great to hear from too.

Thank you all and I am so glad I found this site! It is the best site ever!

To see the rest of stories go on over to:
community/stories

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Notes and Insights:

Birthday Board!
Happy Birthday Gwen Nichols, Betty G aka buslady23, Darlene Strain, Ann, Vickie Love aka vick, Rhonda, Bertie, Barbara Martens, Karen Choate aka KJCatty, and Cindy Konsella!!!
Check out all the birthdays at
community/birthday
and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

Fundraiser 2003
We don't like to beg, but we're having a hard time staying online. The cost of keeping Arthritis Insight running is large (to us anyway), and while there are still no salaries being paid, there are monthly bills that need to be covered if we want to stay online.
Our solution? We're having a Fundraiser.
It's been two years since we've had one - and we know we're not the only ones out there asking you to part with your money, but if you can help, please check out the Fundraiser information at:
help/fundraiser2003

Get Involved
Laura Rayfield's getting her tushie kicked donation wise for the Arthritis Foundation walk she'll be participating in next month in Nashville. Maybe we can help her out.
community/involved

Gimpfest 2003 -- Iowa, Here We Come!
Come be part of the fun when dozens of gimps head to Stuart, Iowa on July 24-27.
Get all the details here:
http://www.fadedjeans.com/iowa/

AJAO Regional Conference
"Taming Juvenile Arthritis"
June 2003 - Phoenix, Arizona
The Arthritis Foundation is proud to host the 2003 American Juvenile Arthritis Organization (AJAO) Regional Conference, "Taming Juvenile Arthritis." The American Juvenile Arthritis Organization leads the effort to improve the quality of life for those affected by childhood arthritis and related diseases. This 3-day conference is geared towards children, teens, young adults and family members who are affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other childhood rheumatic diseases
http://jraworld.arthritisinsight.com/community/involved.html

JRA JAMFEST: General Information:
Dates: Saturday May 17, 2003 - Sunday May 18, 2003
Target Audience: Kid Friendly,General Audience
Time: 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Phone: 502-589-6620, ext 106
Location:
Derby Flea Market & Traders Circle:
2900 South 7th Street Road,
Louisville, KY 40216
Ticket Information: free admission, fee for games, raffles, etc..
Event Details/Other Comments:
JRA JamFEST is a two day event to benefit FACES. FACES is Facing Arthritis with Compassion, Encouragement and Support, a group for children, teens and young adults living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). All proceeds will go directly to FACES and will help us sponsor children and their families to JRA conferences, JRA camps, and other juvenile arthritis related events! Join us for a day of live music on May 17th featuring Doubleback and headlining, Wayne Young and the Youngsters!!! May 18th enter our Karaoke Contest! Come out for the fun, entertainment, games, prizes, food, drink, information and lots more!!!!

Join the Arthritis Dieters!
This is a group of people with arthritis who want to lose weight with others who know of the challenges of living with is arthritis. All those medications that make living with arthritis tolerable, but pile on the pounds. This group has been set up to give us a protected group where we can talk to others who know what it is like.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arthritis-dieters/

Wanna help?
Having surgery? Starting a new drug or treatment? Filing for disability? Keep an Arthritis Insight journal so all of our members can share and learn from your experience. If you want to keep a journal just let us know.

Write an article!
We always need articles on all subjects relating to arthritis. C'mon folks, we can't do this without you.

Ken Akers Cheer Fund
Donations to the Ken Akers Cheer Fund will be used to send flowers and gifts to those community members who are hospitalized, flaring or just in need of some good cheer.
community/kenscheerfund

Thank You!
A great big thank you to NeedaBasket.com (http://needabasket.com). NeedaBasket is now Arthritis Insight's official gift basket company. They are giving us a great discount and are donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors.

Special Offers for Arthritis Insight Members
Whenever possible we will try get to our sponsors to agree to discounts and the like for our members. Here are our current special offers:

Sore No More (http://sorenomore.com) gel will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com.

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AI Help Desk
Linda Peck

Linda's taking the week off. Hopefully we'll see her back in the next newsletter.

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

More health news can be found on our site:
news/

INFLIXIMAB MAY INDUCE ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES, BUT DOES NOT INCREASE LUPUS
RISK
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondylarthropathy (SpA) with infliximab may induce antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), and especially anti-DNA antibodies, findings from a new study indicate. However, the induced antibodies are not the type typically associated with lupus.
Medscape, Apr 22 (free registration required)

RANK LIGAND MIDIATES ESTROGEN DEFICIENCY-RELATED BONE RESORPTION
Upregulation of the RANK ligand, the final effector of osteoclastogenesis, is a major determinant of increased bone resorption in postmenopausal women untreated with hormone replacement, according to a report in the April issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Medscape, Apr 22 (free registration required)

CLINICAL AND SEROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS HELP DIAGNOSE RHEUMATOID VASCULITIS
Clinical features and serological markers may help discriminate between rheumatoid arthritis patients with and without histologically proven vasculitis.
Doctors Guide, Apr 22 (free registration required)

AUTOANTIBODIES CAN POINT TO EROSIVE DISEASE IN EARLY RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Combined analysis of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) and IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) provides the most accurate prediction of structural damage early in the course of rheumatoid arthritis.
Doctors Guide, Apr 22 (free registration required)

SLE DURING PREGNANCY ASSOCIATED WITH LEARNING DISABILITY IN MALE OFFSPRING
Maternal autoimmune disease appears to be associated with an increased risk of learning disabilities in sons, results of a study published in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine suggest.
Medscape, Apr 21 (free registration required)

ALENDRONATE PREVENTS BONE LOSS AFTER DISCONTINUATION OF HRT
Treatment with alendronate increases or maintains bone mineral density (BMD) after discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), according to a multinational study reported in the April 14th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Medscape, Apr 21 (free registration required)

FENTANYL-TTS THERAPY SUCCESSFUL IN TREATING ARTHROSIS PAIN IN HIP AND KNEE
Fentanyl-TTS can be used successfully to treat arthrosis pain in the hip and knee, research in Germany indicates.
Doctors Guide, Apr 21 (free registration required)

ADDING FOLATES ALTERS METHOTREXATE TREATMENT IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITICS
Efficacy of methotrexate (MTX), as well as final dose and toxicity are influenced by folate supplementation in treating rheumatoid arthritis, suggest researchers in The Netherlands.
Doctors Guide, Apr 21 (free registration required)

ANTI-RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS DRUG ANTIBODIES COMPROMISE MEDICATION EFFICACY
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the efficacy of treatment with the fusion protein Ro 45-2081 is compromised by anti-drug antibody formation.
Medscape, Apr 18 (free registration required)

ETANERCEPT MAY NOT BE BEST OPTION FOR JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS
Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who are treated with etanercept may experience an initial positive response but often fail to maintain improvement, and they may experience a wide variety of severe side effects.
Doctors Guide, Apr 17 (free registration required)

ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS TO SULFA ANTIBIOTICS IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS
Erythematosus than in Those with Other Inflammatory Arthritic Diseases
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) appear to have more adverse drug reactions than those with other inflammatory arthritic disease, contrary to previous research findings, Canadian researchers report.
Doctors Guide, Apr 17 (free registration required)

STEM CELLS MAY OFFER HOPE FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Injecting adult stem cells into mice repairs damage similar to that seen in multiple sclerosis, according to Italian researchers who say their work could one day offer hope for treating the disease in humans.
Yahoo News, Apr 16

MEASURE RELIABLE IN ASSESSING KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN
The Joint-Specific Multidimensional Assessment of Pain (J-MAP) measure is reliable and responsive in assessing knee osteoarthritis pain, researchers from the United States and England report.
Doctors Guide, Apr 16 (free registration required)

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Contribute

Have you written something you think our subscribers would like to read? Send it to Tina@arthritisinsight.com and maybe we'll use it in our newsletter.

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A Closing Thought
No Regrets

If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for just one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two to stop and say "I love you,"
Instead of assuming you would know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day,
Well, I'm sure you'll have so many more, I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight,
And we always get a second chance to make everything right.

There will always be another day to say our "I love you's",
And certainly there's another chance to say our "Anything I can do's?"

But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you and I hope we never forget,

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,
Today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,
Too busy to grant someone what turned out to be their last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them and that you'll always hold them dear.

Take time to say "I'm sorry," "please forgive me," "thank you" or "it's okay".
And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2003

AI Staff
Page last updated on April 23, 2003