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There is simply nothing more powerful in this world than the love of a parent.  Active, engaged parents make such a difference in the life of any child, even more so in the life of a child with a chronic illness or special needs.

I've had the pleasure of meeting quite a few such parents through my work here at dlife, in my outside life working and volunteering for non-profits, and in my social life.  Just recently, I met two of the most amazing parents I think I've ever known.  My friends Joel and Zaira.  

These are two people who have made extreme sacrifices to ensure that their son, Lance, has the best of everything in his life.  By the "best of everything,"  I don't mean the latest X-Box, or monetary comforts, or anything else like that.  

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If you weren't aware, Oprah did an entire episode today on diabetes. The silent killer, the demise of America. People are dropping like flies!!! Haven't you heard?

Okay, maybe I should give Ms. Oprah a little credit for putting this out there. It IS an epidemic. But she owes me a correction. Type 2 is an epidemic! Yes, more and more type 1s are popping up. For goodness sake, I know so many people who were diagnosed in the last 5 years...it's kind of insane. But type 1 is not the focus of Oprah's show.

Although she didn't exactly point that out. The show opens with diabetes being this silent killer, the demise of the population. She actually says that people are dropping like flies. Yep. Like flies. Dr. Oz helps her out with some tricky animation that shows insulin rejecting sugar and the pancreas secreting yellow goo and all sorts of lovely images.

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There's been a lot of ta-doo around here lately about hating - or loving diabetes.

I'm a hater.  In the twenty seven years I've lived with it, I have heard people say that they can't hate diabetes because it has given them so much, taught them so many lessons or because it's helped to make them the person they've become or because it's brought them some of their closest friendships, or simply because it's a part of them.  That's not my view. 

The lessons of patience and perserverance and balance that diabetes has taught me don't matter.   The many beautiful, kind, and wonderful people I've met because I have diabetes don't matter.  The parts of me that are stronger or more focused because of diabetes don't matter.  I would give up all of those lessons, those friendships, those parts of me to be free of this disease.  

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It's my time...to appreciate the past.

Dear Mom,

I've probably never thanked you out loud for the years of care that you've put into my life. And I should. Every day of my life. Because you have been the rock, the support, and the lifeline that I've need in the past 16+ years of living with diabetes.

I've heard the way you tell my diagnosis story. I hear the fear in your voice, the emotion run through you. I know that those months were some of the hardest in your life. When you talk about watching me have seizures and bad night lows, I hear that same fear and emotion. I know having a diabetic child must be one of the most difficult things to encounter as a parent. I know it wasn't what you expected or wanted or needed in your only girl.

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If I could control my blood sugar with my mind, I'd constantly be 85 or 100. Exactly. Not between, not a variable. Just 85 or 100. Why?

Because they are nice numbers. They aren't my favorites (my favorites are 7 and 14 which is quite odd considering what I'm about to explain). They are just good blood sugar numbers.

Because they end in 5 and 0.

Okay, maybe I'm a little OCD when it comes to numbers. For instance, the TV volume is always set on a 5 or a 0 in my house. If it HAS to be something else, then it needs to be an even number. Like 22. That's a nice number.

I don't think I do anything multiple times that involve fives or zeros. I don't wash my hands 5 times or count back to zero when I complete a sentence. My numerical OCD doesn't really infiltrate the non-diabetes part of me.

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Dear Oprah,

I used to be a fan. I used to watch your show all the time. Probably every day. That was back when I was in school and was home by the time you were on.

After I got into the real world and started working, I rarely saw your show. And frankly when I did, it was pretty sensationalized. As a member of the media, I pretty much hate sensationalism. I may be in the media minority when it comes to that, but it's a direction that I simply can't stand our industry has gone in.

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I have been incredibly busy this week. I finally finished cleaning my apartment. I've packed two suitcases full of winter clothes and pictures to take back home...to help with the moving process in May. Plus I've been focusing on school: a yoga final, a 15 page paper, editing two papers for classmates, and trying to actually GET to class for once.

Between it all, I haven't had much time for the rest of my life. My post on "Balance" really hit home as my week is coming to a close. My bags are ready to be loaded tomorrow morning so I can spend the day unpacking them and visiting my mom (who I won't see again until we leave for Europe in mid May). There are multiple piles of things that need to go to the recycling center. And my school books are looming in a pile on the coffee table.

So where is diabetes in this hectic day? Right smack dab in the middle, that's where.

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In light of the recent tragedies in the diabetes community, it seems like a trivial concern.

I still haven't read the stories in full detail, because to be honest, I can't. I noticed people talking about it on Facebook, but quickly looked away as if it might blind my eyes. What in this world can be more painful and devastating than losing a child. I would be lying if I said I never thought about it.

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This is not a post about retinopathy or losing eye sight. 

This is a post about how easy it is to see what is right in front of us, what we deal with each day, and miss the bigger pictures.  

When it comes to diabetes, sometimes the day to day management and challenges can be so much to handle, we forget bigger picture blessings like relative good health, the ability to retain employment and to take care of our families, and the tools we have at our disposal to improve control. 

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