Dear Elly, Here is how my [World Gratitude Day, Sept 21, 2006] went:
 
I had planned to go to the later of the two EGG sessions at TGC and headed that way by MetroAccess about 4:30 pm.  We had a couple of detours to pick up another customer and the driver got a little lost.  I started to feel kind of nauseous.  Because of the detours, I realized I probably wouldn't make theTGC session, so I asked the driver to let me off at Friendship Heights so that I could head to White Flint on the Metro if I started to feel better.
 
Serendipitously (or not?) at Friendship Heights, I saw there was a branch of the Cheesecake Factory.   I walked over there to get some air and looked at their menu for a few minutes.     Grateful to be feeling a little better at that point, I headed on the Metro to White Flint but on the train started to feel nauseous again. I got out at White Flint and sat in the station for about 20 minutes to see if my upset stomach would improve.  I wasn't feeling any better after 20 minutes and the thought of food made it worse, so I decided to head home.  I was dissappointed that I wasn't able to see you and the other EGGers but was grateful that I got out in the sunshine for awhile and felt that I did the right thing by coming home.
 
On your note the other day, I loved the Cheesecake Factory menu link.  I wasn't familiar with the restaurant and am glad to know that this is a restaurant where I'd like to eat and would take guests.  The shepherd's pie and the burgers looked esp. good to me.  And I loved the links to the free greeting cards, especially the first link in the list, which I used to send a card to my sister.
[http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu.htm and
http://www.gratefulness.org/ecards/index.cfm]
 
Hope you and the other EGGers had a great day and dinner, and I hope we have another Maryland or DC meeting sometime.  Thanks for putting in all together - you did a great job, Elly.
 
best always,
Celia 
Washington, DC
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Hi Elly,

I wanted to follow up with you after attending the gratitude meeting at the clinic. This was my
first meeting ever. My spouse has CFS and it was good to have people to talk to about all this. It was a little different than expected and it was real good was that nobody was "pitching" anything or anybody (supplements, books, treatments). It was just a real relaxed atmosphere with enlightening conversation. Although it was a small group, everyone got a little something from coming.
Thanks,

Paul
Maryland
Sept 25, 2006
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Dear Elly,

 I'm so happy I met you guys!  I can only seem to "register" some of the emails (meaning, in my brain), but some of them are really helping, and I was really glad to be a part of your gratitude group's conference call.

I heard a great analogy from a pastor whose church, work, and home were all wiped out in hurricane Katrina:  he said that the cup-half-full was actually just "full," since it's half full of water and half full of air...that we tend to deny the part we can't see, but it's still part of what is nourishing us...I liked that, as I'm still trying to find that balance of fully acknowledging everything (not being in denial) re the illness, but with focusing on the progress, good things, etc. as you were discussing.

...(it's still also very taxing to type)...more later!!

- "I" in Hawaii, Sept 2006



Letters from right after July EGG Conference Call
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Really enjoyed the meeting tonight!  What a blessing!
Dan and Tammie 

Dan adds:
Hey! This is Dan from the meeting tonight.  I just wanted to say thank you again - it really is encouraging to know there are others out there who really do feel the way I do.  I also very much like the format of the group.  While there are definitely times when talk of doctors, lawyers, and health questions are needed it's nice to have a group more focused on the positive.  Honestly I've been a little apprehensive about support groups just because I'm not interested in sitting around talking about how crappy life can be.  This is my life and yes I have CFS - but it's still my life and my responsibility to make it the best one I can.  So thank you, I like where this is headed :)

Dan in Waynesboro, VA 

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The gratitude conference call was great! It was nice to talk to people who live in my old stomping grounds back in Virginia. I have unlimited long distance, and I'd love to have the EGG calls happen more often. Thanks so much for all the work you do! I hope you weren't too worn out from the call today. I had been in bed moderating today, so it didn't affect me too much. Also I was conserving my energy by keeping my big mouth shut LOL


Bethany in Oregon
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"Just to give you some feedback - I found the EGG very helpful.  It is so amazing to hear people talking about my bizarre symptoms.  To know others experience the same weird things (like being relapsed by intense conversation) is so reassuring.  Also appreciate the helpful tips, like the minutes in the sun.  Since I have been doing things like the support group, the CFIDS membership, etc..., I find that I've come out of my denial more and take care of myself better, even if I also go through the tears and upset of 'facing up'.  For this I am grateful.  Thank you." -Hilary in Alexandria
hilarywalmsley@hotmail.com
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Sorry I couldn't listen in on tonight's [7/29] call.  We have a really bad fire not far from us called the Black Crater Fire (in Central Oregon).  This morning the fire was over 4,700 acres and has since flared up this afternoon due to gusty winds.  Also this morning the fire was only 3.5 miles from Sisters and now Tollgate (a subdivision just 2 miles West of us) is being evacuated.  So, I'm packing in case we are forced to evacuate as well.
 
Angela in Oregon
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Dear Elly,

Right after the phone call, I heard on my TV/radio that ad for a mobile phone where a mom and teen-age daughter are"fighting", but all the words are the opposite.  They shout, 
"You've always loved me!"  and
"Why don't you act more like a child!" and
"I'll love you forever".                                                Wow!    

And  the punch line of the ad was
"We're changing the way people communicate"!!!!!!! :-)

Then, the cheap, quickie job on supports for my mattress I didn't think would hold crashed to the floor in the middle of the night! I was able to laugh, not cry as I might have, thinking how the person who did this CAN'T be COUNTED ON TO SUPPORT ME anymore .... :-)

xxoo - Nina in Arlington
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How nice to be in on the conference call last night with everyone. Could you tell that I was excited and talked a bit too much? I'll be better next time and Elly did a great job in slowing me down. My adrenals get speeding and my cognitive abilities frustrate me.  Yes, listening and talking exhausted me also, but I am so happy to have been part of this.

So good to hear people's voices who experience same symptoms. Thank you everyone.
Thank you Elly and Toni for your loving, hard work you do for us all. I'm very gratefull for that and for you both.

Sue in New Mexico
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Great letters, everyone. Thank you.
It really helps us feel the "group" part of our set up and share
with those not on the calls, too. Talk to you soon.....
Elly
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