Midwest Mimi

  • The Difference Between Canceling and Choosing Rest

    When you live with chronic illness, disability, or even just the daily realities of parenting, plans don’t always unfold the way you imagine. Sometimes, life forces you to cancel. Other times, you make the choice to rest. On the surface they can look the same: you’re not showing up. But the meaning and the weight…

  • How to Talk to Kids About Invisible Illness

    Recently, my fifteen-year-old daughter Raeleigh asked me if we could go to the mall. Makes sense—she’s a teenager with her first job and a few dollars she was excited to spend. But that particular day, I was in pain and running on empty. My answer had to be, “Not today.” Her face shifted with disappointment,…

  • The Part You Don’t See: Living with Invisible Illness

    I wish I could invite people into my body for just one weekend. Not to feel pity, but to understand. Because on the outside, I look like I’m managing. I can make it to a two-night camping trip with my kids. I can smile around the fire, walk slowly to the lake, laugh when the…