Thursday, January 26, 2012

Back to Basics

Well, my doctor appointment has come and gone.  It's left more confusion.  All my test results are now coming back in normal ranges, which is a great thing.  But it means we have no clue what was going on or why.  I'm still semi-convinced that I was overtraining and that's what was causing a lot of my issues.  I've had just over two weeks off from working out at the gym and finally went back today.  I've made a decision: I'm going back to my roots for the next 30 days.  I'm laying off the elliptical, because I know I have a tendency to over-challenge myself once I hop onto them.  I'm still going do strength-training, but just enough to maintain the muscle that I've added, with no weight increases for the next month.  And for cardio.....I'm hopping on the much-hated treadmill.  Today, I started with walking just over two miles.  I've found that I can manage to easily do 2.8 mph and still read a book!  So *BONUS* I'm getting some reading done too!  Right now, I'm in the first few chapters of The Jesus Mission, which is a book that is supposed to help you develop a more intimate relationship with God.  I'm hoping it will help restore my sense of purpose in life while also helping me learn to not worry as much (aka...put my trust in God).  I also have Ginger Viera's Your Diabetes Science Experiment on hand to read next.  And about 40 or so other books that I've picked up in the last few years and just haven't gotten around to reading.  I'm hoping to make it through at least 4 books by the time I'm done with walking and ready to challenge myself again.  It's nice to have a plan again!

Monday, January 16, 2012

We're asking the wrong question....

When I fall into a funk, I avoid my blog.  It's what I do.  I want to be alone with my misery and not spread it around to others.  But, in the midst of my funks, I often have ideas that rattle around in my head, waiting for me to take action on them.  This latest one I've been dwelling on.  It keeps popping up and no matter how much I try to push it back down, it stays there, just beneath the surface, calling to me and telling me that I need to write this.  Before I start, I want it to be clear that I understand that not everyone believes the same things I do.  Not everyone has the same faith or the same ideas.  And I'll never judge another for not having my faith or my ideas.  That's not how we were created and it's not what we're meant to do.

So, here it is....we ask the wrong question.  When our children are diagnosed, when theire blood sugars are off, when we're feeling overwhelmed and like this life is just too much for us, we ask the question "why".  Why did God allow this to happen, why did it happen to us, why my child, why, why, why, why.  It's always there, the question of why things are what they are.  And we keep on asking it, no matter how many times we're denied the answer.  And it finally occurred to me that there is no answer to that question.  The lack of an answer leads some to question the existence of God.  They lose faith and give up and turn away because they don't understand why He would allow this to happen to them.  But, the reality is, God can't control everything in our lives.  Oh, he has the ability to do it, I'm sure.  But, when we were created, we were given free will, the ability to direct our own lives, the ability to choose.  And because of that, God can't step in and control us like we're a bunch of paper dolls.  And really, we wouldn't want him to.  Still, we ask why he would allow things to happen and why he doesn't fix them for us.  Humans are complex.  Not all of them are good.  We, as a society, are not content to stand still.  We strive for progress.  To make things "easier".  To make things more technological, to make advancements, to make more money, to own more "stuff".  We're constantly pushing.  Our world is God's gift to us and it's our choice to use it as we will.  I'm getting off track here, but it's our choice to destroy our world or to do good for it and save it.

Here's where my thoughts have been leading me....the question of "why" is the wrong one to ask.  Instead, we should be asking ourselves what we can do with what we're given.  How can we turn the negatives in our lives into motivation for more good.  When our children are diagnosed, instead of wallowing in the "why", we should be moving on to look at how we can reach out and make that road easier for the person to travel it behind us.  When bad things happen, there is always an opportunity for good.  We can draw into ourselves and rage against the fact that there's no answer to "why" or we can ask God to hold our hands and show us a new path through life, a path that offers us an opportunity to do something for others, to make our world a better place, to learn a lesson from what we're going through.  There are so many new opportunities that open up when we stop asking "why" and start asking "what now"!

Enough lecturing for the night!  I have pictures to share!

They actually do love each other!

Leo turned 3!  I so wasn't ready for that!

Peek-a-boo!

Lily hates wearing these hats, but she's so cute in them!
I'm thinking of selling them in my Etsy store....2 for $25 and including a couple of barrettes, maybe?

Blue Circle Cowl....considering making these for sale too.  Maybe something to match all those Blue Heels out there now.....

One of the first gifts I just sent out for the nominations project.  It was well-received by a very deserving recipient!

Baby giraffe hat, combining knitting and crochet!

Infinity cowl

And something for the boys....Newsboy Cap.


Just a quick update on those nominations....I sent out a couple of gifts already to a couple of my favorite DOC moms, Meri of Our Diabetic Life and Laura of Houston, We Have a Problem.  I have a couple more in the works and there are two more I mailed out on Saturday but I don't want to mention now since they have yet to receive them.  I'm absolutely loving making things for people that I have in mind when I start!  It makes the creating that much more meaningful for me and that much more fun as well.  I didn't think of it this way when I started it, but I'm hoping this is how it's received....it's like I'm sending hugs out in the mail!  I hope each person who receives something from me feels the same warm fuzzy feeling I do in the making at that moment when they open their package!  I love, love, love doing this!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Well, that was a flop!

I received a grand total of not-a-single-one nominations! It makes me sad :(. But...I'm moving on. I figure, maybe my idea wasn't developed enough or maybe I didn't make it clear enough. You see, the idea comes from this....I've gotten so much from so many in the DOC. Encouragement, support, laughter, comic relief...the list goes on and on. And because I've gotten so much, I want to give something too. I know there are some whose spirits are drooping. I know there are some who feel over-whelmed. I know there are some who have a whole lot more on their plates than some of the rest of us do. Every single person in the DOC deserves some pampering. Unfortunately, my needles and hooks don't fly quick enough to make something for everyone. But, I have a huge stash of lovely yarn and I have a couple of hours each day that I can devote to working on something special. And it's easy enough to stop by the post office and mail that something special off to someone special. So, I'm going on. I've got a few people in mind that I really want to give something back to, people who deserve it or who I want to encourage as they've encouraged me or uplifted me in some way. I've got a few pieces I'm working on and hoping to finish up quickly so I can send them off. But I don't want to close the door for nominations either. So, if you notice that someone's spirit is hurting or that someone is in need of a little something special, or if someone has done something that really meant something to you, there's always the option of sending me a nomination. It's at my discretion whether or not I'll fill each nomination, but I'm definitely going to try to fill as many as I can of whatever ones you send my way!