b"TThheeJJooyyooffHHaaiikkuuBy Crystal SimmonsMS: two lettersIt changed our lives foreverPoetry untouchedWriting was always intriguing to me. Anavid reader since a child, writing followed withease and enjoyment. An elementary schoolteacher introduced the subject of Japanesehaikuwriting.Justfivesyllables,seven MS did not take that ability away or changesyllables, ve syllablessounds pretty simple, that desire to encourage others to try haikuright?ThemorestudyingIdid,themore writing, too. depth and richness I found. The 17th century introduced haiku into Having multiple sclerosis can presentliterature. At rst they only focused on the cognitive changes. Not feeling as sharpseasons and nature, but eventually broadened because communication signals are notto all variety of expression of life, while received as easily, if at all. But writing a haikumaintainingthis5-7-5pattern.InJapan, is not only fun it also strengthens our mentalhaiku was the shortest form of poetry. It was language abilities. written to capture the feeling of the writer in Manyfamouspeoplewithdisabilitiesabriefmomentoftime,andtoinvitethe changedthetrajectoryofhistoryHelenreader into that feeling as well. Keller, President Franklin Delano RooseveltAfter the diagnosis of MS, many physical and Steven Hawking, to name a few. MS doeschanges occurred in my life. Thankful for a not have to stop us and does not dene us.name to these mysterious symptoms, I was We can still dene ourselves, with God's helpalarmed that my brain had a major issue. But and direction.I could still write a haiku. I pray this has encouraged you to embarkMy husband, Phillip Simmons, loved them onthisnewadventureofhaikupoetryand encouraged me to continue. He is my writing.primarycaregiverandcoachatthesame Changes start a newtime. He never allows me to slack, while MS Focus Magazineproviding the daily encouragement about thecontributions I can still make to this world. Bright light in our world55 msfocusmagazine.org"