End of Summer Reading

Here are some fantastic fiction reads for my female readers that feature food and make for great end-of-summer reads:

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

End of Summer

Mr. Stripey tomato and a cucumber from my husband's organic veggie garden

Homemade, organic pasta sauce

A sign in the hotel elevator (when my hubby and I went on a 24 hour getaway together)---it made me laugh.

My daughter and me at the local waterpark.

Summer is quickly wrapping up around here. I've had 3.5 months off work---which has been both a blessing and a challenge. Being home with my daughter has given us plenty of time to partake in numerous activities together. I've been able to enjoy sleeping in, working out every single morning, and reading lots of library books. I wrote several articles for Diabetes Health and volunteered one day a week at a local hospital with the diabetes nurse educator. However, I have missed the more hectic pace of working (part-time) and being a (mostly) stay at home mom. I miss having the interactions with my fellow teachers and my students. I'm ready for fall.

My family is in a season of peace and security. Nothing major is going on. We're just living each day in an ordinary and predictable fashion, though it's rarely boring with a toddler. It's nice to have calmness and comfort.

One bit of good news---my a1c was read to me wrong at the doc office---and wrong in a good way. It's actually 7.2! I'm only .2 away from where I should ideally be! Woo hoo!

Life is simply easy right now. I am a bit worried that something dramatic and upsetting is just around the corner...but I try to live in the present, deal with each day as it comes, and enjoy these seasons of peace and beauty.

I hope that as you continue to read and learn and evolve as a person with diabetes that you take some time to reflect on your blessings. Much love to you!

Dear Mama

If my daughter could write me a letter about diabetes, here's what I think it might say...or at least what I hope it would say.

Dear Mama,

I like to pretend to check my blood sugar with you while squeezing my finger. You find it so sad that you laugh, and then I laugh.

I don't like when you don't feel good, but you sure do a good job making sure I still have a great life. You play with me, feed me yummy foods (homemade and organic, of course!), and keep me happy and secure.

I don't really know what diabetes is. I guess it will be part of my life, too.

I like going to the gym with you. I get to play in the nursery while you say you are "workin' on my fitness." (Isn't that a Fergie song I heard once on the radio?) It's fun to see so many happy people doing weird things on machines. I get a lot of attention there.

Mama, I don't get diabetes. But you're doing the best you can, I do get that.

Love you.

Baby Girl

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To learn more about being a mommy with diabetes, please visit my favorite diabetes blog: Six Until Me.

Summer Reading

I just finished reading Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt. This book is a must-read for those who have lost a loved one. In this case, Roger's daughter, Amy, passed away in her early forties of an undetected heart problem. She left behind her husband and three small children. Roger and his wife move in with Harris and the children, serving as another set of parents---buying groceries, taking the kids to school, helping with homework, and the most beautiful and simple task, one that is reliable in a shaken-family, making toast.

The book attracted me because I am fascinated by the simplicity of the title. Roger's book is written in chapters and then divided into mini-chapters, sometimes just a few sentences long. He remembers his daughter in bits and pieces---through the children, through every day tasks, through photographs. And he honors her simply---by making toast for his young grandson.

Having a disease pushes me to be fascinated with medical tragedies and stories of loss. This book didn't disappoint and was a beautiful memorial to a mother and wife.

Here's what the book spoke to me (p. 157). At the beginning, the author is quoting another author. The second part of the quote is the author speaking:

"If there have been, at various times, trifling misunderstandings in our life, now I see how one was unable to value the passing time." As far as I can tell, this is how to live---to value the passing time.

It's easy for those of us suffering from diabetes to get caught up in the hardships of daily disease management. However, we must stop, focus, get back on the horse and back in the game, otherwise, we miss all the moments that occur in between the best moments. And those passing moments, well, they are valuable. They can be beautiful. And they are gone quickly. Let's treasure each day with purpose, never letting moments escape us even when it's not the best of times.

Two New Articles

Hey, all!

I have two new articles out:

Making an Ordinary Day Extraordinary

and

Ten Reasons to Test Your Blood Sugar

Please read and leave a comment. You don't have to register to leave your thoughts. :)