She's long gone now. It's a sad realization, but she is gone and I don't think I will see her again. For awhile I mourned her deeply. I still miss her, but someone else has taken her place.

Maybe it's a simple rite of passage for a woman coming into her own and coming of age in her forties. Maybe some of that change can be attributed to multiple sclerosis. More likely, it's a combination. What she lost physically may never be replaced. What she gained spiritually, intellectually and emotionally will stay with her. She's an open book and the world is a big place. She looks toward the future with hope and enthusiasm. Neither age nor multiple sclerosis will be her undoing.

Yes, she has taken the place of another, but she is welcome here.

Previously posted on The Health Central Network's Multiple Sclerosis Central. Read the rest of my story here.