It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by – and so quickly. I hope all of you people reading this blog are doing well and that life is meaningful and inspirational. As life progresses forward, it seems that friends and family are more important to me than ever.

For me, 2023 has been a very special year. My health continues to be going well, so I am able to be involved in numerous activities at Penney Farms as well as in the Jacksonville area. I am happy to find creative ways of being in a world that isn’t all over the globe or isn’t in my beloved New York City.

And of course, I will always have deep gratitude for Mayo Clinic (which has saved my life). The doctors, nurses, and staff there keep me healthy, alive, and full of energy. Mayo has published a number of stories (Joy Carol Mayo Clinic) and recorded a video about my life living with paraneoplastic syndrome (YouTube – Joy Carol Mayo Clinic health). Mayo in Minnesota is in the process of making a new series of videos about this crazy and very complicated diagnosis – hopefully those videos will be out in the spring or summer of 2024.

This past summer and fall, I had the joy of traveling a bit. Not always easy with my disability. But I made it to New York, Maryland, England, and California to see family and friends. I even took a road trip with friends through Georgia, South and North Carolina, and Virginia. I feel grateful for the ability and opportunity to travel.

As most of you know, my big project this past year was writing the book Different Together: Bridges of Mutual Respect. It’s a book filled with positive, inspiring stories about interactions and relationships between people of diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, and faiths. A number of people have said that during these times of divisions and discord, the heartwarming accounts in the book help build understanding and respect for all peoples. (Different Together is available on Amazon: Paperback $7, and E-book $5)

Thank you for your support and good thoughts as I continue to try to live my life fully in spite of the challenges I face. Yes, pain and loss can sometimes bring out the best in us. I hope you will plan to come to Florida to visit, if possible – it is beautiful here in the winter. Let us care deeply for one another and be peacemakers in our world. Thank you for being in my life.

Joy Carol

www.joycarol.com