Endearing Pain: Life Lessons from MS Afflictions

Pain is universal. It comes in all shapes and sizes but sooner or later it comes to us all. Colleen Peters hopes that what she has learned and written about while living with Multiple Sclerosis for more than a decade will reassure challenge and encourage those in pain to see that life can be rich in spite of and at times because of pain. Lovely gentle and honest Endearing Pain invites the reader to walk with Colleen as she struggles to make sense not only of her pain and her bodys progressive weakening but also of faith meaning life and love. --Jamie Howison Author of Gods Mind in That Music; Priest; Saint Benedicts Table Winnipeg I am so glad Colleen has made the effort--excruciating at times no doubt--to produce this book. And Im so glad youve picked it up to read. --Bob Beasley Vice President of International Ministry Bible League Canada I strongly recommend this book to anyone living with chronic pain or disability [or caring] for someone who fits this description. From reading this book in its various stages as well as observing Colleens life first-hand I am struck by the fact that not only has Colleen been refined by her suffering but that she truly lives more fully in each moment than I do in a year. --Bev Rutherford Family Physician Victoria BC Peters has chronicled a decade of neuropathic pain due to multiple sclerosis. She has unique insights on its impact on her personality self-image family and spiritual life. Like the psalmist she expresses fears disappointments angst and ultimately her assurance in God who has accompanied her throughout. --Allan Ronald Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine University of Manitoba In Endearing Pain Peters reminds us that Christians through the centuries have understood something about suffering that our culture grasps only very dimly. Living with ugly things need not be ugly. In Gods mysterious ways they acquire beauty. One of this slim volumes special gifts is the use it makes of insights from other writers introducing us to an array of them whove thought about the meaning of suffering. --Harold Jantz Editor; Journalist Colleen Peters and her husband Len have four adult children--two girls and twin boys. Colleen taught in a high school prior to raising a family and as her children grew she returned to teaching on a part-time basis. Neurological anomalies surfaced in 2004 and after three years she was diagnosed with Progressive Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis the condition that forced her to quit working outside of the home and with which she continues to live.