Letter: You do not have to have a fatal disease to cherish each moment

I have ALS, a terminal illness. It is progressing quickly and I am not likely to live more than a couple of years. Though I cannot control the course of my disease, I have absolute control over my attitude. These are the best days of my life.

I have a positive and pleasant outlook, I see the best in almost everything. I focus on gratitude and beauty and things that make me happy. I do not ignore the things that bother me, but I do not dwell on them.

Quite inadvertently I have found a calling in sharing the joy of living in the moment and appreciating the beauty and happy things around us. I write a blog on CaringBridge to record my gratitude as well as the course of my illness. It surprises and delights me how many people have felt inspired and grateful from reading it.

You do not have to have a fatal disease to cherish each moment you get. There is plenty bad in the world. There is also plenty of good, and the one that you focus on will grow.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Letter: You do not have to have a fatal disease to cherish each moment."