small victories (and miracles)

sometimes (ok, most of the time) life is hard. really hard. being a nurse and a tender soul has put me in the path to have my heart broken by the pain and suffering around me. i look at the beautiful faces of my 12 (yep 12!!) nieces and nephews and am SO thankful for their health and strength. i see people more afflicted with hardships than we are, and feel so blessed to be healthy and happy and NOT rich. my mom recently got diagnosed with diabetes type 2. this is not a HUGE shock as her mother has it, but for my mom..it pretty much made the world stop. i have seen the really bad side of diabetes and know that while right NOW everything is relatively ok, there is a potential for some MAJOR problems down the road (kidney failure, blindness, losing feet and legs to ulcers, etc) and felt almost panicked that we had to do something to control it. i love my mom, but she is not the most disciplined person ever, so i was a little bit concerned that she wouldn't stick to a diet/exercise program. then the dr told us because her sugar level was so high she would have to go on medicine (dangit) i did not want her to, and to top it off because of the ice/snow that happened..the dietitian couldn't meet with my mom..so i had to set her out on a plan. so after research and more research we came up with a plan..and i printed out a food log, exercise log, and a blood sugar measuring log for my mom to use for a week before we went back to the dr. this was not the best week ever for my mom. she says she is "grieving" food. she threw a tantrum in the grocery store (see throwing veggies on a bread shelf). she called me in a panic because she ate too many wheat thins. a true test of my patience and hers. it wasn't pretty. but yesterday we went back to the dr..and he said she did NOT need medication if she continued to follow the diet/exercise plan!! (WHAT?! WE DID IT???!!! I DID A HAPPY DANCE RIGHT THEN AND THERE!!) thank goodness for the small victory in the start of this very long battle with a very terrifying disease!! :) in other good news, it seems as though despite our car giving us a bad start, we are up and running with no real issues, and thank goodness! i also lost 6 pounds (small victory indeed..but it is a start and has kept me motivated..which is no small thing). and the miracle of the month is Calliope Michelle Willden born in the first few minutes of valentine's day to my brother and his wife. she is beautiful and tiny and precious. and if my camera/computer were talking to each other i would post pics. but for now..just TRUST me..she is GORGEOUS!! i am also continuing to pray for little briley and her battle with leukemia. check out teambriley.blogspot.com for more info. LOVE to you all!!