Friday, July 16, 2010

When life hands you diabetes…make friends

Today I woke up to Facebook and found status after status of blood sugar reports. Victories, defeats…works in progress. How comforting to know that in the depths of the night, D parents everywhere are tending to their children. Like little fairies, or angels, watching over the children in their sleep.

I remember a time when it never occurred to me that others were out there doing the same thing. Of course I knew there were OTHERS, but it just never crossed my mind that there were so many. Moreover, it never crossed my mind that they would be so wonderful.

Yet here I am with fully 100 friends on Facebook who I have never met, but yet complete my life in the most unlikely of ways…by just writing one or two sentences on how or what they are doing.

They are like me.

Same.

How wonderful is it to not feel alone. I can tell you that I have bloggers that I follow and chat with that I seriously consider to be some of my closest friends. Yeah, I one of THOSE people…apparently.

But I’m so Ok with it, because hello, they ARE my friends.

Here’s a little something for you to wrap your brain around:

Last week my car was broken into and among other things, 3 one touch link meters were stolen. I rely heavily on these when the boys are in school. Since my boys do not have a nurse to help them, they need to check their own blood sugars and then put the number into the pump. With these handy monitors, the numbers are beamed to the pump, so I don’t have to worry about my eight and six year olds entering numbers correctly. I posted on Facebook about the ordeal and no kidding, within an hour all three were replaced.

Hello. Talk about understanding. Talk about generosity.

These woman (and men too) know the worries of my world. True friends do.

I saw this quote:

“A friend is one who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

When I lose my way…I have you. When I am down…I have you. When I want to celebrate…I have you. Blog friends, face book friends, family friends, old friends, friends who never comment but I know you are there and I love you just the same. I am so blessed.

So today I lift my Diet Pepsi up to toast the friendships I have found inside my computer.

To you:

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”
-An Irish Blessing

Cheers. :)

29 comments:

  1. And I raise my glass of water to you WONDERFUL Meri! I am so happy to have met you!!

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  2. Thank you for becoming someone I consider a friend. Hope you have a great weekend!

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  3. RIGHT.BACK.AT.YOU.SISTAH!!! Thanks for this post and thanks for being sweet, wonderful, understanding, awesome, beautiful, caring YOU!!!

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  4. Thank you for your blog. Reading blogs like yours gives me so much support. After driving 10 hours straight yesterday with our three girls--the youngest has celiac and Type 1--I was up through the night working at getting her blood sugar ok. On the roundtrip, I changed her pump set beside a corn field after it fell out and her blood sugar climbed. Pulled over on countless offramps to give insulin for simple snacks. Redid two sensor sets that came out at grandma's house. I still can't believe this is all normal life. I can only imagine having three children with diabetes to care for. You are an AMAZING woman! And most of all, our kids are total heros. Thank you for your insights. Your sharing helps me and so many out here. We are all in this together--staying up nights, sleep-deprived, cheerful and positive most of the time, and sometimes just completely tired out. Your story about your dog made me cry it was so sweet. And the broken vase, well, you put words together for all of us. Thank you. Thank you for making me feel part of this circle of friends!

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  5. So happy to call YOU my friend!!!

    But, I'm a Diet Coke girl! Nonetheless, cheers to YOU, dear Meri!!!

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  6. Love this post, Meri! As always, you have such a way with words.

    I am SO happy to call you my friend too!

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  7. I love you friend! My life is richer because I have you in it! I am always excited to read a new post of yours and wait anxiously to read a comment from you on mine. I have never met you in person but feel such a bond with you. Great blog!

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  8. A Friend is a Treasure...

    A friend is someone we turn to,
    when our spirits need a lift.
    A friend is someone we treasure,
    for our friendship is a gift.
    A friend is someone who fills our lives,with beauty, joy and grace.
    And make the world we live in,
    a better and happier place.


    Thank YOU Meri for all the love and support you have shared with all of us.

    CHEERS, Dear friend.

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  9. I feel very fortunate to call you my friend, Meri! =)

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  10. Right back at you Meri my amazing wonderful friend who always makes me feel so much better when I see you commented on my blog or I see you leave that cheerful spirit everywhere you go . Gotta love my computer friends and you Meri I am very happy to say are one of them .

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  11. Meri-
    I'm happy and honored to call you friend!
    As a former child with diabetes who is now all types of grown up, I learn so much from blogs written by the parents of CWDS. You share what my parents would not, and for I am grateful!
    Keep on keeping on friend!
    HUGS
    Kelly K

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  12. You have awesome D friends! It's heartwarming to hear so many people stepped in to help.

    Renata

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  13. What a wonderful post Meri.

    Thank you so much for your friendship, it really means a lot to me and I feel so loved and understood every time I'm seating at my computer :)

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  14. :D

    Thank you Meri! A big *hugs* to you. You are an inspiration and your friendship, like many made here, make this D-life a better place.

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  15. HI FIVE!

    CHEERS :)

    It's such a blessing to have a mom like you to walk alongside in a storm like this.

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  16. Love you, Meri!

    It's wonderful to find others who get it. I love that I know I have somewhere to turn when D gets rough and no one else really understands.

    It was a hidden treasure it the hell that came with Dx. All of you!

    I was just thinking that today... the same kind of different as me....

    (((hugs))

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  17. Great title!
    Greater post!!
    Greatest friends!!!

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  18. I think Diet Pepsi is gross. I am a Diet Coke girl myself. Can we still be friends? =)
    Beautiful post, as always...

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  19. Same.

    Cheers! :)

    The DOC is where it's at!

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  20. So perfectly said! CHEERS to you, my friend! So glad to have met you! :)

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  21. Love that blessing... thanks for being such an important part of my life. Couldn't do it without you!

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  22. You help me so much by just being yourself and being so fantastic. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your openness and the joy you share.

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  23. “Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow”. It says.


    Thanks.

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  24. I'm so glad you are open with your life, Meri.

    Diabetes is such an...ordeal....but I consider getting to know your smiling face as one of the blessings.

    Now....if only I could pet Lawton.....

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  25. What a beautiful post! Thank you and right back at you!

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  26. I toast you as well. But I do so with a Diet Coke :)

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  27. Can I just say Amen? Sometimes I don't want to write about our diabetes woes because there are so many out there and I always think that "so and so" just needs the support more than I do so I brush a lot under the rug and don't post about it on FB often...but you know what? We do need the support, I do. We are like a family. Thanks for this.

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  28. Your's was the first blog I found after diagnosis almost two months ago, I cried as I read your story.. I am blessed just the few minutes we've had to chat and am very grateful and excited :) to get to know you!

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  29. I'm one of those people, too! Most of my closest friends live in my computer. Or my phone.

    No- wait. That's not true. They live in my heart.

    That's where you live! Until the day we get to bear hug IRL.

    ��

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