I forgot !

OK-
I had my plea for help worded a little incorrectly... still vote from March 7th-April 3rd, but you can help NOW too- 


go to humankindwater.org NOW and sign up to receive emails.

If you do, you will be joining the 'wildfire team'. You'll receive a daily email with 3 minute max instructions for spreading the word.

Why now?

The point is to grow the team that is excited about providing water to dying kids BEFORE the voting starts. This is key to making this work!

And it is really fun too! Maybe I just have a boring life or something, but it is sort of fun to get instructions like: 'between 10:00-11:00 AM post this on your facebook wall' It is easy and I love seeing this thing grow and how many people really do care to make a difference!

I know, I know 13 days of this might get a little repetitive and like : enough already! But, if it can actually help provide clean water to other Moms who have to spend a good portion of their day walking to a water source that isn't even that clean? I'm willing to be a pest and to keep hearing about it for 13 days.

So- please post this on your blog now and ask people to go to humankindwter.org and join the team by signing up for emails.


You can join the facebook page too and join the chatter there- they have a lot of cool pictures that you can post on your own wall. :)


Alright... thats it for today. 


Oh and on the diabetes front- we have been all over the place for the last week with multiple checks at night for over a week- BUT last night when I checked her at midnight- she was 139!! woohoo!!! (This is a good number for us at midnight) and the first time I'd seen a number starting with 1 in a long time!!!! (at least at night)
So YAY for last night! Praying for a few more nights like that! :)

Help bring clean water to thousands FOR FREE!!!!

This could be the most important blog post I ever write. I am praying it is the most well read!

How can we give thousands of people all over the world clean water for free? Well, it isn't free- but it can be free, NO COST for us to help make it happen!

My friend, TJ Foltz, has started an organization called humankind water.

The idea is simple- sell bottled water and give all of the net profits to building wells and filtration systems, etc. to give those in need clean water. TJ is not doing this to create a business or a job for himself- He already has a job. He is just doing it to help people all over the world- to do as Jesus said to do- giving a cup (or a well) of water to 'the least of these.'

So- how can we help? He has entered a contest with walmart. If he gets the most votes, walmart will put his bottled water on their shelves. It is that simple and that easy! Obviously, just being on Walmart shelves will be a huge revenue- estimate is 1 million dollars of revenue!!!

All I am asking you to do is:
1.Spread the word- post this on your blog, your internet groups and your facebook page! Tweet it, text it, talk about it!!!


2. VOTE - starting March 7th and through April 3rd. Go to humankindwater.org and vote!
It is completely within the rules of the contest to vote over and over and each and every day!

I have made it my goal to find 100 people who will commit to vote 10 times a day each day of the contest. This will take all of 2 minutes out of your day and could mean clean water for thousands!!!!!

Won't you please help me meet my goal?
Won't you please help them receive clean water???

Go to the website:
http://humankindwater.org/


watch the video.
sign up for the emails- they are NEVER asking for money- just for your help spreading the word and voting!

Ladies, this is something WE can do to make a difference! This is something our children can do to make a difference! Let's get the whole Diabetes Online Community involved!

People are having 'voting parties' !!! The experts have told TJ they need 1 million votes! We need to spread this message to every network we have and we need everyone to help. But, it really isn't that huge of a commitment for each one of us- IF we all help! Please help spread the word, please vote!

And I'd love to know if I can reach my goal of bringing 100 people to the vote- so will you please comment and tell me if you will commit to 10 votes a day?

thanks!!
Susie

I'm back!

Wow. Definitely have taken a blogging hiatus the last few weeks! I had a horrible chest cold and didn't even want to open my laptop let alone post on a blog! But thankfully, I am feeling much better now!

The last 2 weeks have been fairly eventful!
Event #1: Carol of  my last post- the one who had been in a coma- woke up on day #9, spoke on day #10, and walked a few days after that! Totally a miracle as the doctors had told the family to prepare for a long term coma! I was smiling for days over this, just praising the Lord! :)

Event #2 : February 3, 2012 was Jessica's 2 year diaversary. This passed rather uneventfully, but was an event all the same. Lots of thoughts about this, lots of discussion around here, but also feeling kind of numb about the whole thing. Is that weird? How can something feel like it has been a part of our life forever, and yet I still vividly remember life without it? Weird. Jess and I were hoping to both post the very funny video her sisters made for her back on her one year diaversary, but our plan failed. Maybe another time. :)

Event #3 : The other night our wood stove decided to explode in my husband's face.(Um... the kerosene he was using had something to do with it!)  I was in bed hacking stuff out of my lungs while this happened, but the 2 girls witnessed 'a fireball surrounding Dad.' Crazy! Very, very thankful that he only has burns and blisters on face and right arm and, although it was very painful, he is OK.


That is pretty much it for right now. Still trying to get everyone in the house healthy- is it me, or is this cold/flu season just nuts???

I'm hoping to blog more about the diaversary thing separately. 

Please pray for this family!

Hello,
I know I have not been on here for a while- life has just been busy and I'll chat about me later.... but right now, could anyone that reads this please pray for Carol? She is a Pastor's wife with 6 children and she is in a coma from bacterial meningitis.
Here is the blog her husband is using to update everyone on Carol's condition:
http://carolposton.blogspot.com/

I do not know them personally, but my heart breaks for this sweet family and I feel the Lord wants ALL His children praying for them...

Please pray!
Our God is a Mighty God- Mighty to Save!!

What does Jesus say to a D-Mom?

Most of the time I hear from others, and feel myself,  2 things from living with diabetes: 


#1 exhaustion 
#2 weariness ..... that it is NEVER ENDING and 24/7 and the learning curve never goes away because things are always changing.


Would you say that about sums it up? 


Sure, there are other serious issues too- but all of the other issues, like bad lows, persistent highs, people not understanding, sites failing, all of these tend to add to the 2 big never ending issues: 


exhaustion
weariness


So, I was thinking about this the other night as I got up for the third round of 30 minute intervals to see if we had conquered the darn low... 


and I thought...


exhaustion and weariness....


What does Jesus say about that?


He says:


'Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.'


Jesus knows all about how hard life can be. 


He does not say- ''Hey, whats wrong with you people? Why are you so exhausted and burdened? Why don't you just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get it together? "


No-


Jesus even knows exactly how tired and burdened I personally am- and for anyone reading this- 


He knows your exact burdens too.


He knows and remembers how many times you got up last night.


He knows about sending your child to school , wondering if they will remember to use their cell phone.


He knows about all the extra work with carb counting... I'm guessing that if Jesus knows every hair on your head, He also knows exactly how many grams of carbs you eat! every time.


He knows about every time you wake up on your own and try to decide if you should just go do an extra check since you are awake anyway.


He knows how your heart feels when your child's eyes meet yours in a situation where diabetes is getting in the way. 


Jesus knows how you feel each and every morning when you look in your child's bedroom to see if they are OK.


And He knows, He cares, that we do this EVERY SINGLE DAY.


And He offers a solution- really, there IS a solution! 


He says:


Come to ME! 
All you D-Moms that are tired from being up at night  and heavy-laden with the responsibility of being your child's pancreas, come to Me,


and


I will give you rest.


It is that simple, and that profound at the same time.


I know that I need to be reminded of it over and over.


Rest = peace, calm, being still. and Jesus gives it.


How? How do I find this rest when I have all of these worries swirling around in my head? And they are not false worries about things that will never happen! This stuff is real! These numbers are bad and this is not the flu or even cancer... it is never going to go away! How do I find rest in THIS???!!


Ever been there?


Well, Jesus' next words tell me how-


Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, 
for I am gentle and humble in heart.


A yoke is a farm tool that an animal wears, usually an ox, when it is plowing the field. The yoke usually holds 2 animals and they have to work together in tandem, making the same moves, in order to plow the field.


Taking Jesus' yoke means getting in the yoke with Him, it is His yoke, so He is the lead 'animal,' and we-


we are to follow
to submit


to plow whatever field we find ourselves in (like the living with diabetes field)


the way Jesus would do it
surrendered to Him, AND in the strength of His Spirit


Here is an interesting fact: 


An animal that resists the yoke develops blisters 
and the  yoke becomes painful.


But when the animal willingly submits:
the yoke doesn't hurt.


Having a child with diabetes is a very hard thing to accept willingly. 


But until I accept it, that yoke is going to hurt.


Once I get up from just being a heap of despair on the ground and say, 'OK, Lord, lets do this'


then, the healing can begin. Then God can even work through me to bless my child, to bless others, to give me joy and abundant life.


Sure there are days I stumble on a stone  in the field and I'm just a little heap again.


But Jesus is so gentle- He has the same words for me every time:


Come to Me, (again!) all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.


Our physical bodies may still be worn out and need a good nap- but our souls- deep down -can truly find rest and peace in Jesus.  Life can be crazy and hard work, but we know it will all be OK.  We know Who is in control. When we submit to His Holy Spirit within us, we are able to endure and continue in His strength, His hope, His faithfulness, His joy.


This may sound cliche to some... but it is really true. 


There are so many things in life that we have to put in God's hands, trust Him. 
A child with diabetes is one of the harder ones, one of the more daily ones... but it is still the same answer...


Anyone feeling  weary and heavy-laden? 
 Come to Jesus!


I could NOT do it without Him!


Matthew 11: 28-30

Funny Story #3

OK- this is a short one.
And may not be that funny..
but it made me chuckle.

A few weeks ago I had to take Jess to the chiropractor.
She'd never been to a chiropractor before, and I've only been myself twice when I was in extreme pain and HAD to go.

So, you know, it is a little weird having someone touch you and contort your body.
Jess was not too happy about the prospect, but we had to go as she has had some trouble with her knees and the orthopedic specialist said we had to go.

Anyway, while I was sitting in the 'Mom Chair' and some sort of assistant person was moving Jess into all sorts of positions, the following conversation took place:

The Aide sees pump clipped to Jess's pants.

Aide: What is that ? An ipod?
Jess: No, it's an insulin pump. I'm diabetic.
Aide: Oh. (insert generic question about diabetes)
Jess: (insert generic answer)
Aide: Oh, yeah, I've been effected by it, I mean I know about it, because my cat had diabetes.

Awkward pause.

Jess- turns her head away from the face plant in the pillow and fixes me with a 'I can't believe this is happening' glare.
I give her a withered look, a sort of smile.

I think the aide's hands were at that moment massaging Jess's lower back and moving dangerously closer  to lower areas of her body...

Finally:
Aide: Well, I guess its sort of different

Jess: Yeah.  Ya think???!! 

Me: I chuckle and cough to keep from laughing out loud. Finally I am hero-Mom to the rescue.

Me: It is VERY different. (Images of Jess having a low and unable to speak, going through cataract surgery twice flit through my head along with a montage of pricking her finger in a hundred different settings.)

I mean, it is bad enough when people immediately tell you about every person they know with diabetes, but this lady, in an effort to be compassionate for sure, but a little thoughtless none the less,

compared my lovely, brave, overcoming, victorious , enduring daughter

to her cat

I think it was actually her dead cat.

I mean you just have to laugh.

We both did when we got in the car - which is why I can share the story.

What do these 2 things have in common? Diabetes and Homeschool

If you homeschool- have you ever noticed that diabetes and homeschooling have quite a few things in common?

I was contemplating this the other day and surprised myself by how many things really are similar.


#1 People ask the same exact questions all the time:

'What about socialization?"

"Is she on a special diet?"


#2    I have 3 or 4 versions of my answer- and I use the exact same words each time!
I feel like I have a 'we homeschool' track and also a 'she has diabetes' track.

When my kids hear someone ask me one of these typical questions I can feel them roll their eyes and walk away. They don't want to hear me recite my answers.

I don't know why I always say it the same way... I guess I'm boring. With homeschooling, my girls joke that they can and have given 'my speeches' for me, down to the curriculum I usually recommend. They have role played this for me and it was pretty funny... but I digress... diabetes is the same-

I have my short version response: 'She has diabetes. She's fine.' (I know she isn't 'fine, but this is my 'I don't really feel like talking to you answer)

Then I have my more usual long answer.

I'm not sure the girls have these memorized yet...

#3 Community

Homeschool Community = very important ! We have been part of a homeschool co-op for 9 years and have such dear friends there. People in the homeschool community are close, we encourage each other, share with each other, learn from each other. We have to seek out community.

Diabetes Community = very important! Need I say more? We have learned so much here with the whole  DOC.

In both cases, community has been a huge part of finding answers and support!

#4 Temptation to compare

This is the one that got me thinking about how homeschooling and living with diabetes are similar. Along with community, there is a temptation to compare myself to others.

In homeschooling, I'm totally familiar with thoughts of comparison and I know how to ward them off.

I'm a little newer to the whole diabetes community and the feelings of inadequacy that catch in my throat from comparing took me by surprise. The nice thing was the weapons to fight it are the same-

-every family is different
-my child's needs can be different from another child's
-my children have their own individual strengths and weaknesses
-  God chose me to be the Mom to my children, He knows what He is doing!

These truths have helped me combat comparisons in homeschooling and so I pulled them out to squash comparing myself to other D-Moms and families too.


#5  People outside of it tend to 'not get it.' They usually don't know a lot about it or have misinformation.  It makes us sort of.... different, not the norm

I think this is why the community is so important.

And, you know what?
Maybe, for those of us who do homeschool,  maybe God has used  homeschooling to prepare us, in a way, for the challenges we would face in living with diabetes.

Just a thought.

#6 People feel a need to tell you of anyone else they know in the same boat:

'Oh, my sister homeschools, maybe you know her.'

'Oh, my uncle's brother's son has diabetes.'

Both of these situations always make me laugh!

There have got to be more similarities... can you think of any more?