Monday, May 21, 2012

A houseful of heroes


I live in a houseful of heroes.

The images of their valor and their wonderfulness are a clear snapshots in my mind.

It's in everything they do.

It's in everything they say.

It's in their smile, their laughs and their tears.

It's ever present.

How blessed am I to be surrounded by their optimism?

How blessed am I to witness their genuine determination, every day.  Every hour.  Every minute.

They make it seem easy.

Unfortunately, despite my awareness...I often take for granted everything they do.

M- He is a constant support.  Ask him to do anything...he will do it for you.  In a heartbeat.

J- My level headed boy who doesn't allow diabetes to define him.

B- Has never complained about his diabetes once.

L- His sweet heart wants only to give love and happiness to others.

Ryan- Despite cancer, he is working harder than ever.  The doctors are in awe of him.  As am I.

My efforts are so inadequate compared to their theirs.  I feel like I fail them all the time.

But I love them wildly.  No one can love them like I do.

My heart bursts from gratitude that they are part of my life.

I have a houseful of heroes.

Every day I have with them is a win.

Each memory we make is a blessing.

God forbid I waste the time we have together with anger and self pity.

We have too much to be thankful for.

And tonight, more than anything...I am thankful for my five boys.

Five heroes.  Five times blessed.

(On a side note, this is my 400th blog post.  Thank you for taking this ride with me...I know it hasn't been a smooth one, and yet you ride along anyway.  I'm thankful I can purge my deepest emotions here, and then leave them on the page as I go live a "normal" life.  Thank you for putting up with me, lifting me in my hardest times, and supporting our family in our victories.  Next to marrying Ryan, starting Our Diabetic Life has been the best decision of my life.  Here's to the next 400!)

7 comments:

  1. MERI, I have said this to Bridget when she interviewed me a few months ago... "Meri Shuhmacher is my hero. She demonstrates strength and courage and optimism during dark times."

    I did say that and I meant it. Love to you and your heroes.

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  2. You forgot to mention one of the heros. That would be you. There are those that are in awe of you.

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  3. I'm certain that your house of heroes would not be the wonderful young men they are without an amazing mom and wife. :)

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  4. I love this . . . and I ditto the Amy above. D.I.T.T.O.

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  5. Meri i have a couple of questions for ya. First how old/what grade were your boys when they had a cell phone? Do you find it easier for you instead of going through the teacher or office to find out blood sugars and such? I have a seven year old starting second grade this fall and am trying to decide if we should get him a cell phone or not. Also, do you just smile and nod when someone is discussing diabetes with you and they dont really know whay they are talking about and try to make them understand and they just won't budge? I hate when people assume that i have taken the easy way out by believing my doctor instead of doing my own research. I have looked around but my doctor is going to know and understand a lot more than me. Anyway, these are things going on in my life and i very much value your opinion. Thank you!!! By the way, you are amazing!!!

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    Replies
    1. My boys got cell phones starting in 1st grade. I'm a stay at home mom. It is MUCH easier for me to field calls from school and make proper decisions, than a nurse that is almost non existant and knows nothing about my boys basal rates or patterns. We aren't blessed with a school nurse, so this was the best way. We got them simple flip phones that they kept only at school, that were programed so they would only have to push one button to get ahold of me. We were lucky enough to get in when we could add a line to our plan for only 5 dollars a month. I always take time to educate. I don't have time to volunteer on a larger scale right now...so I do what I can, one person at a time. I have a hard time letting people walk away with misconceptions. It is hard to know that after you explain, many still won't really get it. But over time...through more conversations the light bulbs go off. Sure, there are days when I don't have it in me to explain so I let it be...but for the most part I won't let the misconceptions win. And what is it that you "believe" that your doctor is saying? What do they believe you need to research? Your child has Type 1. Your child needs insulin. No moss in Africa or vegan diet will change that. Hugs to you! You can do this!!

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    2. Right now for both my boys (one in preschool and the other starting srcond grade this fall) the teacher texts me their blood sugar and i text back what i think they should do. My husband and i are just trying to decide if it will be easier hearing from our son than going through the teacher. I too am a stay at home mom, i just had my third boy and we are hoping he doesn't end up with T1D too. It was my cousin that just didn't get it when i tried to explain about T1D. He just kept saying how drs will tell you anything to get your money and so on. I got tired of trying to explain everything, he didn't seem like he really wanted to know, just that he wanted to be right. He thought it very irresponsible of me to not research herbs and other remedies on behalf of my boys. I couldn't get him to understand that they don't have cells that make insulin and so on. He was so sure that their bodies are so full of toxins that they can't function, causing the diabetes. He kept emphasizing that thry probably need a cleanse to get things working right. I got so frustrated repeating myself that i gave up. I just said yep i will look into and then left the room. Have you ever had that? So frustrating!! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my questions. I know you are busy but i am sooooo grateful! Thank you! Just remember you are loved and that Heavenly Father is watching over you.

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