Friends,
Good news, Good news and Good news!
Our first good news is that the parking lot re-paving project went better than expected. We won’t be dealing with gravel on Wednesday. It’s done!
The second good news is that we will not be closed on Friday like planned. We will be open so we will get to be with each other.
The third good news message is we now have a designated walking / biking / rolling track all the way around the outside of the parking lot. I’m really excited about this one! We’ll figure out how many laps it is for a mile. Let’s work towards our day of endurance goals around the parking lot. 😊
Donations – More Good News
Some of you have been doing birthday fundraising initiatives on Facebook and some people are donating anonymously. We just received a check for $235.00. I’m not sure how Facebook works and who is all donating but if you are one of the people doing fundraising or donating…THANK YOU! We will continue to put each dollar to good use.
If you are donating your time and talents by volunteering in any way…THANK YOU! We certainly could not do what we are doing without the help of our volunteers. To me, it’s critical that we continue to do what we are doing for free. Our mission is truly about people helping people. All of our volunteers and donars continue to make this possible. Again…THANK YOU!
What does it mean to mow your lawn?
To some people, that might mean work. To someone who lives with MS and could only wish they could cut their grass but can’t, it might mean they’re frustrated. If you were at the gym last Wednesday, you were probably touched when Athena shared with us that she was able to cut her grass all by herself for the first time in three years. For Athena, being able to cut her own grass again was a huge milestone.
Athena gave the credit to our gym and all the people who are helping her. I would agree, we’re all here to help any way we can. We also need to give credit to Athena for doing the hard work she’s doing and engaging in the life changing initiatives she’s doing. I’m confident this wouldn’t be happening if Athena wasn’t doing the hard work. Good job Athena! Keep up the hard work. I know…it’s not easy.
I also say we need to give credit to God for bringing us all together the way He is and for giving all of us the strength to actually do what He’s guiding us to do. We all have lots to be thankful for.
Thanks for engaging in our programs, doing the hard work and sharing your progress Athena! We are all blessed!
It’s spring. Let’s enjoy the grass growing season and being able to cut it 😊
Some people went to the horse farm last Friday
As we were closed last Friday for the driveway, some people went to the horse farm that Linda invited us to and learned more about energy therapies. It sounds like the weather was a little cool and windy but they stuck it out.
Thanks for making this possible Linda!
Students are back!
Dr Becky Thomas, Dr Sarah Andreucci and their Physical Therapy Assistance students from Bryant Stratton College are back on Wednesdays. We are thankful! We have 16 students joining us this semester. This is an excellent opportunity for the students to gain knowledge about people living with MS and get some hands on experience. It’s also beneficial for us living with MS to learn from the students and their leaders.
Parking Etiquette
We have more people coming who are using walkers, poles, canes, crutches, wheelchairs, etc. For us who are able to walk without assistance, please park in the back rows and leave the front rows for those who are challenged to walk or can’t walk.
We also have permission to park across the street in the Acuity Foam parking lot. Feel free to park there as well. Thanks for your cooperation!
Friday Morning Bike Rides
We had a fun ride last Friday despite one little mishap. I’m thankful nobody was hurt. When we’re riding with trike trains, we all need to remember they need space to turn and we need to give them the space they need. Let’s continue communicating as we ride so we’re aware of our surroundings and the people riding next to us.
Other than being a little chilly, it looks like the weather is going to cooperate with us this Friday so…let’s ride! Please dress warm.
We’ll be meeting Friday mornings at 7:00am at Nettesheim Park in Pewaukee. It’s on the SE corner of Hwy SS and Oak Street. The GPS address is: N26W27495 Prospect Ave, Pewaukee, WI 53072. Come a little early so you can get your bike out of your car and be ready to ride as close to 7:00 as possible. We’ll ride until about 8:45. Let’s ride and have some fun!
For those who wish you could join us but can’t; please know we have you in our hearts on these rides. We’re riding with you and for you. I hope you too can join us someday. We really need to get this MS thing figured out. Let’s keep working on it together.
Rest, Recovery, Wellness and Safety
We are having biweekly workshops that focus on achieving our fitness goals and preventing injuries. They will be the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month from 11am – 12pm. Please join us for hands on activities and learn how to rest, recover, be well and stay safe.
Upcoming Topics:
Friday, May 26th – No topic – we had planned on being closed for re-paving
Friday, June 9th – Tom Holtackers will facilitate a discussion about emotional health – we can all use help with this. Tom has truly “lived” through a lot with his MS challenges and has a lot of knowledge and wisdom to share. You won’t want to miss this discussion with Tom. As we all know, living with MS is not easy.
Friday, June 23rd – Dr. Robert Motl will be coming here from the University of Illinois and giving a presentation on the cutting edge of exercise research in MS. The last time Dr Motl was here and seen what we’re doing, he really appreciated it. He will have an interesting and educational presentation. You won’t want to miss it.
Future topics could include: emotional health, nutrition, yoga, tai chi, wellness topics, safe use of gym equipment for your body and more. What topics would you like to see? Please let Joan, Traci, Ricky or Dan know
Golf Outing June 30th – We would appreciate your help…and Golfers!
Do you golf? Would you consider golfing with us and for us? We have room for more golfers and would love to have you join us. There are brochures about it at the gym and here’s a link to sign up as a golfer.https://www.eplatinumhealth.com/eph-cares/
We also need help with silent auction items and creating baskets for the raffle at “Teed Off at MS”, ePlatinum Health’s annual golf scramble.
We are looking for donations of new items to create raffle baskets. Popular items have included: tickets to sports games; camping gear, picnic items, gift certificates to local shops and restaurants.
If you have a personal relationship with a local business, please ask them if they’d be willing to donate to benefit our gym.
Please either bring the items to the gym or let Rick Talbert know about it. We would appreciate your help with this…thank you in advance!
Day of Endurance Journey – Progress – Let’s share!
It’s time to record our progress again 😊. This Sunday, May 28th concludes another two-week period. If you don’t have your long workout in yet, let’s get it in before Sunday and share it by recording it on the board.
Each two-week period, let’s record our longest distance or time of each event we’re working toward for the “Day of Endurance”. Along with that, let’s share a few words about how we felt after our long event for the two-week period leading up to the day of endurance on August 26th. That’s it!
Each two-week period, let’s try to do just a little more than the last two-week period and record (share) it again.
Let’s enjoy our journey…together!
COVID
We didn’t have anyone test positive for COVID this past week. Yeah! It’s still around so let’s not let our guard down and do what we need to do to stay safe.
To all who have reported their positive testing to me…thank you for letting me know and for being socially responsible and staying away until your symptoms are all cleared up. If you do come down with it, it’s important we let people know that you have been in close contact with so they can watch for symptoms and help stop the spread.
We’ve all been dealing with COVID long enough and are very well educated on it by now. I’m not telling you what to do but I’d highly encourage you to wear a mask again if you haven’t had it recently. Let’s make good choices and be safe.
Please stay home if you have any symptoms or know you’ve been exposed to someone with the virus. Please don’t come until your symptoms go away. Let’s also give each other some space when talking to one another and continue wiping the machines down before and after you use them with disinfectant. Again…let’s be socially responsible and stay safe!
Let’s get together!
We’ll be getting together again from 9:00am – noon on Wednesday and Friday mornings at the gym. I hope you’ll join us!
Wisconsin Metal Parts – Westmound Building
MS-Just Keep Moving, Inc.
W228N791 Westmound Drive
Waukesha, WI 53186
Prayer Group We’ll be having our prayer group Wednesday @ 11:00am.
I just love the way we share, pray and laugh together while we witness prayers being answered weekly. It’s truly amazing!
Thanks goes to God and to everyone that joins us. Let’s get together to share, listen, talk, give thanks, and pray however God leads us.
MS Just Keep Caring – Our Caregivers support group will be the first and third Friday of each month from 10:00 – 10:30am. The next one will be Friday, June 2nd. If you’re a caregiver of someone you love with MS, please join us and share your experience of caring for your loved one. This has been very helpful for many. Thanks to all who participate!
Our Facebook page is private. That means you’ll need to join if you want access to all our fun and progress. We’re now up to 380 members. That’s awesome! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2639832389489709
Our Facebook page is very active and fun. Lots of people are doing more and sharing their journey on Facebook. Feel free to join, post and share your experiences and comments.
There were some awesome pictures, videos and comments shared again this past week. Thank you to all who are sharing!
Thai Massage with Ricky Heldt
Ricky will be here Wednesday and Friday doing Thai Massage. Ricky says he is comfortable to work with you even if you’re not wearing a mask. Ricky will continue to wear one to protect you.
Many continue making great progress with chronic pain relief, range of motion, walking better and a new sense of hope when Ricky works with them. Please keep in mind that consistency is key. Not only with Ricky…with exercise too. We need consistency to realize the benefits long term. We want you to have long term benefits and relief.
Ricky has a sign up sheet based on first come first serve. You can pick the time slot that works for you. I highly encourage you to take advantage of Ricky’s Thai Massages each day and sign up for your time slot as soon as you get there.
Reiki with Linda Linda will be here on Fridays doing Reiki. Many people say Linda’s Reiki work is “magical”. We’re thankful for Linda sharing her gifts and talents to us. Feel free to let Linda know you’d like to do Reiki with her. She also has a sign up sheet.
Inspirational Humor with Adam Wollert
We’ll be having our inspirational humor zoom call with Adam again next Tuesday. Adam is a gift to all of us. Thanks to all who joined us today!
Please join us if you can.
Tuesdays @ 1:30PM
Here’s the link to join us…I hope you do!
Join Zoom Meeting with this link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9431389152?pwd=bWlYbFNaazVnM1M1cWxWMitlODdXUT09
Meeting ID: 943 138 9152
Passcode: 3qP2hu
Phone: 1-312-626-6799
Let’s reach out
I encourage you to share a smile and encouragement with someone. Perhaps you could call someone that you have not talked with for a while just to say hi and see how they are doing. We all could use a little extra love and encouragement.
MS is tough. Let us have faith, remain calm, be flexible, help each other and learn as much as we can about the challenges of each day as we make good choices.
Let’s keep moving and smiling 😊
In God We Trust…we are in good hands.
Dan
P.S. I didn’t get a chance to take too many pictures of nature this past week. It’s been a busy week for me. I did get a few though.
Spring time is always a good time to enjoy babies. Here’s a little baby painted turtle I came across on a bike ride. It was on the trail, I’m thankful it didn’t get run over.
Cute little guy!
Baby pine cones are starting to form as well. Gotta love the spring time in Wisconsin.
Even dandelions look nice with the right lighting at sunset. Some people call them weeds. Look at the detail in those weeds. How does that happen?
My daughter Sam has a Circuit machine and she cut me a little message out of some paper stock. I took it out in our backyard and enjoyed a nice sunset with it.
I know, I need to cut my grass 😊
For those of you who can’t get out and enjoy nature due your challenges with MS…my heart is with you. You are with me every time I’m out there. I enjoy being out there and I also enjoy sharing with you. I know how hard it is not to be able to get out and enjoy nature. Let’s enjoy nature and God’s beauty together this way.