Category Archives: Additional Inspiration

Happy Thanksgiving.

November 22, 2012 – 10:00 am

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012. Today is Thanksgiving Day in the USA, a national holiday set aside to give thanks for all of the blessings in our lives.

I know it’s the easy way out to do a post like this today. But I also know that sometimes the only thing that keeps me from cracking up during this time of year is to give in to a little sentimentality now and then. So in no particular order (except for the first thing), here are a few things I’m thankful for today:

– Any message of thanks has to begin with The Great Spousal Unit. Maureen has been my rock and my champion. She’s put up with a lot of crap from me, especially this year, the busiest year I’ve had in recent memory. And through it all, she still meets the original criteria: When I wake up in the morning and think, “Who’s the most fun person I can hang with today?”, the answer is always her.

– While we’re at it, I’m happy to have The Live-In Niece around today. Rachel is absolutely different from The Live-In Nephew who came before her, but I mean that in a complimentary way. She’s adapted to Baltimore and learned about my diabetes with boundless enthusiasm and a big smile. As for Brian… here’s a kid who came to us with all of his possessions in a duffel bag. Eight years later, he has a great job, a home, a wife, and a daughter born on my 50th birthday this year. To say I’m proud is to damn with faint praise.

– I’m thankful for a roof over my head and a dry basement, especially after hurricane Sandy. Even though you’re not reading this New Jersey, my thoughts and prayers are with you today.

– I’m thankful to my endocrinologist. When I look back on all of the doctors I’ve trusted to help me with my care, less than half have been good. So when you get a good doctor, who speaks your language, who encourages you, who helps you with useful suggestions that actually help you manage your BGs better, they’re worth their weight in gold. And after going through so many absolutely horrible doctors prior to her, I’m even more aware of how great that is.

– Can I say that I’m thankful that the election is over? I’m glad the bickering is over for a couple of years. Now, get down to business. We’ve still got a long way to go to climb the rest of the way out of this crummy economic hole we’re in. You can start by ensuring that we don’t have another economic meltdown by clamping down big-time on the shadow banking industry. If you don’t, I’ll be putting my money under the mattress waiting for the next meltdown.

– Thanks to all of the writers you see in the left column of this page. In case you’re wondering, I read all of you. And day after day, I’m reminded that I’m still in the learning process with this thing because I see smarter, more inspirational, more thought-provoking prose than I’ve come up with. Thanks for showing me how to do it. It’s not an overstatement to say you’ve changed my life for the better.

– A special note of thanks to the Center for Diabetes Technology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where they’re working on Artificial Pancreas technology. I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, relentlessly asking a ton of questions. And they not only answered them, they invited me to an open house at the center this summer, allowing me to get up close and personal with the AP, doing my first real in-depth story on something that I find positively fascinating. And right now, necessary. Right now, FDA.

– And I am so thankful for this blog. For the chance to tell my story, in my words, without an editor for the first time in 30 years. Thanks to all of you who have left comments over the last seven months. I still get a twinge of excitement every time I see a new one. But even if no one bothered to read or comment, I’m grateful for the outlet that’s helped me unload some of the things I’ve been feeling over the past few years.

I hope your day, Thanksgiving or not, helps you to remember to be thankful for the things you hold most dear. I’m not a bible thumper, but my favorite passage is still in the book of Luke, chapter 17. Where Jesus comes into a town, ten lepers ask to be healed, he heals them, and one comes back to thank and praise him. And Jesus says something like “Were not ten healed? Where are the other nine?”. I am very lucky to have my life. And very thankful.
 
 
 

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God and Diabetes.

November 19, 2012 – 11:15 am

The Live-In Niece’s parents were in for a visit this past weekend, and we did something that I don’t do much anymore. I went to mass with them on Sunday morning. Since I was in church, and since my awareness of diabetes is at a peak during this month and this year, I couldn’t help but look for a connection between the two. Or an explanation, at least. It was hard to find.

I’m not one of the people who uses the curse of diabetes as a way to explain why God doesn’t exist. I’m also not a person who believes that God has somehow “blessed” me with this disease, or that it’s part of “God’s Master Plan”.

My beliefs lie in the middle somewhere. I’m not sure that it’s a phrase that’s actually in the Bible, but I do believe the Lord works in mysterious ways. I also believe that diabetes is mysterious. So they have that in common.

I don’t believe that God willingly gives us a disease like diabetes. I know that I haven’t been perfect throughout my life, but to me, God didn’t smite me with something, and he didn’t let the devil come into my body and break my pancreas because I was somehow living my life wrong. Just like your father won’t push you into the path of an oncoming car just to teach you not to play in the street, I find it hard to believe that my Heavenly Father would willingly allow something like diabetes to invade someone’s, anyone’s body just to prove a point.

On the other hand, I always cringe at the phrase that goes something like “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle”. Really? Seems to me that with diabetes, I have a disease that has no cure, with a laundry list of possible complications, that’s with me all the time. Unless we find a cure, it’s a fact that at some point in my life, I won’t be able to handle diabetes anymore. So what about that?

And I’ve had so many twists and turns over the years with this disease. We all have. Times where we eat right, exercise, manage our glucose well, and the A1c results show it. There are also times where we eat right, exercise, manage our glucose well, and our body rebels on us, and the A1c results show that too. How do you explain that?

Anyone who knows me well knows that I rarely deal in absolutes. As far as I’m concerned, very few things can be explained with a simple blanket statement. There’s always a little gray in there somewhere. For me, right now at least, there is no absolute explanation.

I don’t know God’s take on diabetes, and I doubt that I will until it’s all over for me. I also don’t know what’s going to happen with my diabetes over the next few decades, assuming I have a few more decades left. Right now anyway, I think I have to get comfortable with not having all of the answers.

You know what? That’s really frustrating. But despite the frustration, my faith gives me a certain comfort, putting me in a centered place where even though I don’t understand, I’m comfortable. Before you ask, there’s not an answer for that either. I can’t explain it, but I know what I feel. I also feel like God has helped me at various times during my life with diabetes when maybe it wasn’t apparent to the naked eye. Like when I passed out on the subway home and my friend from the gym happened to be on the same train, saw me having problems, and informed the transit police, who were surely ready to arrest me for being under the influence of something. Very mysterious. I have to be careful to not let my beliefs lead to complacency, but there are times when I feel I am protected, and helped, and pointed in the right direction.

I don’t have all of the answers, but I’ll keep looking for them. In a simple Sunday service, I found plenty of questions.
 
 
 

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Election Day. Your voice matters!

November 6, 2012 – 10:00 am

Happy Election Day in the USA. Today, America votes for a President, the entire House of Representatives, and one third of the Senate. In all 50 states, there are additional ballot initiatives on everything from gambling to schools to same-sex marriage to taxes.

If you haven’t informed yourself about the choices in your voting booth today, I hope you’ll do so. Then, if you’re of legal age and registered, go and vote!

I don’t usually make a big deal out of this kind of thing, but I will just this once. Listen… men and women have died to provide us with and protect our ability as a nation to determine our own destiny. Around the world, people still sacrifice their lives fighting for the same right we’ve had for over 200 years (though for women, it’s only been 92 years, I think).

We may not always like the outcomes on Election Day. But at least we get the opportunity to make our own choices. And the opportunity to make more choices in the future. Our right to vote is a precious commodity. Please don’t squander it by staying home.

I’m Stephen, and I’m proud to approve this message.
 
 
 

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Weekend review.

September 10, 2012 – 8:23 am

Looking back at the weekend, I can report that I was able to do all of the things that I needed to do the past couple of days. Yay!

And did I suffer a terrible low or a ridiculous high? No! That doesn’t mean that I didn’t suffer any lows. I did have a couple of lows on Sunday, which is kind of understandable considering the fact that I did a hard hour and a half on my bike in the morning. As a result of that, I was chasing lows all day. One about 3:30 p.m., and one about 5:00, right before dinner.

We did get one sad bit of news today: my next door neighbor’s mom passed away this week. She’s been to dinner at our house multiple times, and she was always a great addition to any group of friends. I’ll miss her, as I’m sure her son, my neighbor will. Rest in peace, Bessie.

We did a lot this weekend. And when I say we, I mean Maureen, myself, and Rachel. Everybody played their part, and we accomplished a great deal. The best part is, after my ride on Sunday morning, I’m right where I need to be with my JDRF ride coming up on Saturday. One more hard workout and one a little easier, and I’m ready to go. I’m looking forward to it.

And one other thing: I like to tell people that I’m a spiritual man, but I’m not religious. When I was out on my bike Sunday morning, after the weather had changed overnight, and it was cool, and sunny, and beautiful… while I was riding, and I could hear the birds and see the sun through the trees, and I could really concentrate… I felt closer to God than I have for a long time. I was so grateful for a beautiful day and a chance to enjoy it. I can’t experience a morning like that without feeling something bigger than myself. It was special.

Hope you enjoy your week. And I hope that you’re right where you need to be too.
 
 
 

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Nineteen.

September 5, 2012 – 7:24 am

When I think back on it, it’s hard to believe that 19 years ago today, this woman agreed to a life sentence with me:

At the time, I had a crummy job that earned about half what she was making. In reality, I had no business at all (pun intended) asking her to marry me.

But she said yes, and I am here to report that the results have all been favorable.

Look, when you’ve been married for 19 years (and lived together for 2 years, dated 3 years before that), you’re going to fight. There will be times when you don’t get your way. There will be mistakes made, and apologies given. There will be lots of laughter and shared exhilarating experiences. Goals achieved, and dreams realized and dashed.

But here’s the secret: When you wake up every morning and think “Who’s the most fun person to spend my day with?”… if that’s the same person every day, you know you’ve found the one. Even after an ill-timed joke about it being “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.

Happy Anniversary Memen!
 
 
 

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