I just joined a group to help us prepare for Christmas. We are going to share idea on how to have a stress free holiday season. Last year Christmas was very rushed and things were done at the last minute. I ended up getting very sick because of feeling so uneasy. For the first time in years I didn’t have a home made Christmas Eve dinner and I didn’t send out Christmas cards.

Cards are very important to me because I only have my mother and aunt living close by. Finding just the right photo holiday cards tops off my Christmas to do list. At 123print.com there are so many bright and cheery cards to chose from. I was able to find both religious and Santa cards, my favorites. It’s easy to upload your photo and find what you want by category as well as folded or flat cards.

I’ll be sharing this with the group so we can get one of our to do items checked off the list and feel the stress release too.

This is a sponsored post. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Invisible Illness Week begins on Monday, September 14th at 9 AM. It’s a virtual conference and the schedule is for the whole week, ending on September 20th. This conference supports those of us who are chronically ill but don’t have outward signs of our illness. There has never been more of an important time, in my opinion to take part in National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week than now. Thank you to Lisa Copen who coordinates this event every year.

Since congress is making a decision on Health Care Reform, let our voices be heard! We are often the ones who pay high prescription costs, get denied Social Security Disability even though we cannot work so we go without insurance, and/or get denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

Please watch Marianne Hoynes, who has Sjogren’s Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis as she attempts to speak at a town hall meeting on Health Care Reform:

It was noted that many people could not see that Marianne was not in a wheelchair. So even those of us who have “visible traits” of a sickness are not given the right to speak out on issues that matter to us all.

We all matter.

Lisa Copen is a force to be reckoned with. Although she has Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia, she is the leader of the National Invisible Chronic Illness Week aka Invisible Illness Week. She also runs Rest Ministries, which is an online support group for people with chronic illness.

Lisa was diagnosed at 24 with Rheumatoid Arthritis so she can understand what it is like to be a young person facing a life long disease. She feels exhausted a great deal of the time and her hands and feet hurt most of the time. In fact right after last year’s Invisible Illness Week, she had to have surgery on her foot. She continues to have issues with infections as well as the ongoing pain.

Although Lisa is found everywhere on the web, she does have a personal life too. She is married and has a 6 year old son. She openly shares about the struggles she goes through on a daily basis, but those issues are tempered with her strong Christian faith and the support she receives from her family and friends both online and in real life.

Invisible Illness Week is September 14 - September 20th this year. It will be an online conference like last year, held on Blog Talk Radio. This allows people from all over to attend, as well as those who may be unable to due to sickness. Some of the speakers and topics this year include:

• Coping with Chronic Illness in Your Marriage with Bill & Pam Farrell
• Can Versus Should: Pregnancy, Children and Chronic Illness with Laurie Edwards
• Applying and Winning Disability Assistance When You Are Chronically Ill with Scott Davis
• Being a Teenager with a Chronic Illness with Naomi Kingery

There will be time for phone calls, questions and chances to win prizes. There are many ways that you can help. For example, you can blog about II Week, donate a prize, or hand out brochures.

Lisa Copen leads by example. Being chronically ill herself,  she volunteers to provides awareness about a subject (Invisible Illness) that many people do not understand or even knows exist.  She shares her personal struggles and her triumphs. She has a sense of humor about what comes her way.

She supports others in similar situations through her online work, her empathy and her kindness. She is always willing to share the limelight and gives credit to those who assist her in her work.

One of Lisa’s favorite scriptures that she hopes encourages others is “My comfort in my suffering is this: promise preserves my life.” Psalm 119:50

This is an ongoing effort to spotlight people with chronic illness, health issues and disabilities who are making a contribution in some way despite their pain, sickness, etc.

I know too many women who have been touched by breast cancer. And since I’ve had a bit of a scare myself recently (No, I haven’t heard about the results yet. I will call tomorrow.) I’m even more aware about this type of cancer. And now I’ve found a way that I can help make a difference.

BeeWell Miles is a program run by Bumble Bee Foods to raise money to provide support women diagnosed with breast cancer. They are donating 15 cents for every mile that you walk or run to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength.

I know that some of us who have a chronic illness or a disability may not be able to walk or run that much. But keep in mind that you can help in two ways. You can still log in your miles because this is a group effort. And you can spread the word. Share this info with others and get them to take part.

Being active in some way is healthy. Even though I am chronically ill, I still try to walk as much as I am able. I walk around the house and in stores when the weather is too hot, like today. Even though I wasn’t up and about that much today I learned that I actually walked about 1/10 of a mile. It may not sound like much to someone who is healthy but for me on a bad day it’s great! I’ll take it!

Please register for BeeWell where you can take part in this event which runs from today (April 1) to October 31, 2009. You’ll find support, advice on healthy eating, getting ready for your walks or runs, a way to calculate how much you walk in your favorite places and fun games too. You may even be able to inspire others by what you are doing. So even if you walk a little, you can help a lot.

When you feel as if you are always getting instead of giving, it is a wonderful feeling to be able to give back. I was able to do this recently when I got an email from someone newly diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome. The woman also had other chronic illnesses but her rheumatologist and opthamologist were not up to date on her new dx. She also lives in a rural area where there are not a lot of doctors to choose from.

I answered her questions to the best of my abilities and provided links to her for the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation and an online support group. She replied that just knowing someone who had the same disease as her was helpful. She had felt alone until our email exchange. It felt better than getting gift cards to her favorite stores. It wasn’t that I was able to answer all of her questions, but be there for her. I felt worthwhile and like I had accomplished something.

Reach out to others in some way. It can be the perfect gift for the two of you.

DOUA, The Disabled Online Users Association, now has a brand new area on their training center to help you learn how to blog. Membership to DOUA is free and open to anyone with any type of disability from MS to Fibromyagia, from Raynaud’s Syndrome to Bipolar Disease, any type of physical or mental impairment.

You just fill out an online form, get approved and gain access to the Training Center. Inside you can learn about earning money online. This organization mainly teaches about selling on eBay, but has opened up to starting your own website, selling on Etsy, Amazon and blogging. There is information on all types of ways to make money. DOUA is also a support group where members get to know and trust each other. I’ve been a member and a mentor there for years.

Take advantage of this offer and learn how to blog for free.