I really love that man I’m married to. With all he has on his mind, he did his best to elevate my mood.

The air conditioner has gone on the fritz again. The temperature hit 99 degrees today and the humidity is getting to us both. In an attempt to lift my spirits, I light candles and play some mood music for dinner. Jake points out with a smile that the pork chops are a little dry (they are) and the candles make it seem hotter (they do), so I blow them out.

Just a few years ago, I could hide my symptoms from him to a certain extent. That is no longer possible. He is so in tune with me that I can hide nothing. The crushing fatigue is overwhelming and that fairly new pain has grown impossible to ignore. When symptoms of MS take over in this manner, I also experience personality changes. I become less talkative, somewhat withdrawn and tend to find negatives…well, more negative. Jim, being acutely aware of this, keeps conversation light. He jokingly mentions President Bush, God and Iraq in one fell swoop as a way to focus my attention.

When the table is cleared, the song, “Me and Mrs. Jones” begins playing. I take his hand and we begin a slow dance. For a few moments, I forget the negatives, but it is too hot to keep dancing. Jim tells me that he loves me very, very much. “I know,” I reply. “I feel it every day.” We exchange smiles and he goes off to give that old air conditioner another kick in the pants.