Father, let me hear the WORD clearly...

so I can understand it.  Please do not let my understanding be muddled by my sinful nature, and soften my heart so I can act faithfully in accordance with what I have heard.

I am excited to say we have made it to the beach!  Reed spent his first day as a Type 1 on the beach all day long.  His blood sugars were consistent, with 2 rice crispy treats, 2 chicken salad croissants, several crackers, and lots of water...we were very, very, happy!!!  I love that boy!  His best friend Freddie came to the beach with us, and he has got to be the most patient, tolerant, understanding kiddo ever!!!  Anytime Reed has appeared tired or hungry, Freddie just goes along with him.  It is so wonderful to have friends like Freddie.  I am so relieved to know that our first day has been a success!

As I sat on the beach today, the verse that came clearly to me was Luke 8:17-18, "Everything that is hidden will become clear, and every secret thing will be made know.  So be careful how you listen.  Those who have understanding will be given more.  But those who do not have understanding, even what they think they have will be taken away from them."  Always be willing to listen and slow to speak.  Listen with understanding.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything that was hidden has become clear.  It has been made known.  My son has been given the chance to see the world through different eyes than many.  He can listen, learn, and understand life through eyes that many of us can not see through.  I love you, Reed...

We are heading to Savannah tomorrow...can't wait to show Reed our big surprise tomorrow night!!! Will keep you posted.

Praying you know...

We are beach bound!!!

you're a blessing to me.  I want to share a prayer that was on a card a dear friend sent me, that is my prayer for you all.

"Dear Lord,
There are so many wonderful people I love, and I ask Your forgiveness-and theirs-
For not letting them know all the times that I could how they're kept in my thoughts, and my prayers.
How the things that can seem so important each day really mean nothing at all.
Compared to the warmth and the blessings we share in a visit, letter, or call.
So, please help me remember there'll always be time to accomplish the things I must do,
But the memories we make with the ones whom we love are the treasures that last all life through."

(Emily Matthews)

I am so thankful for my friends.  This week is wrapping up and we are leaving tomorrow to go to the beach!!!  Tybee Island, yaaayyy.  I will be updating our blog, but I wanted to end our week by saying a few words of courage.

Ashley, you know who you are, God is with you always.  It doesn't matter how much of a struggle we are going through, but there is always someone praying for you.  There is always someone with you. But most of all...GOD LOVES YOU!!!  I am so grateful I saw you yesterday, and I am praying for your courage.

Jennifer, I love that you gave me a cross to remember many memories of times long ago.  Psalms 3:5 is one of my favorites!!!  "Trust the Lord with all your heart" and I will take this one step further...with all your soul, mind, strength, mood, courage, life PERIOD!  I love you and am thankful you are part of my life.

Most of all, I don't know if all three of my sisters ever read this (I know one does), but THANK YOU and I love you more than you would ever know.

You all are some of the people I care most about and I want you all to know it.  I am praying that you will know in your heart that I am not sure where to begin, but I am thankful for you in my life and the blessings you have been.

My Reed, Brooke, Ben, Mary, and most wonderfully sweet Tobes, THANK YOU for the most wonderful twelve days we could have with our new life.  We have laughed, smiled, and cried and you all are our strength and courage. "You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you as you are to them" (Desmond Tutu).

Finally, please mark your calendars for September 10---It is the Juvenile Diabetes Walk, and yep we are getting a team together.  I will be posting a link on my "Facebook" page...we would love for you to be on our team!!!!  There will be a cure in our lifetime for Type 1 Diabetes, I have the faith to know IT WILL HAPPEN!!!

Have a wonderful weekend....

"He comforts us every time we have trouble..."

Reed and His Pop after his play this year at MMS!!! 

"...so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us." (2 Corinthians 1:4).  I am always in awe of how God gives us these gentle reminders of how He comforts us, so we should comfort others.

Reed is very apprehensive about our doctors appointment in the morning, he is having his first round of extensive blood work...ugh, sigh. He is still being a brave heart and soul, and his courage is astounding, for me as his mom.

I, now, continuously look for ways to be involved in the Juvenile Diabetes Association, and our recent discovery is a support group that was created with the idea of supporting adults.  Well, long story short, the group has sort of transformed into a support group that is for everyone, even Type 3 Diabetics (those people that love, support, and put up with low and high blood sugars).  I have received my first e-mails from them today, and am excited to be part of the group...kind of strange to be excited to be part of a support group, and to receive my badge of being a Type 3 Diabetic!!!

Our voices do not have to be profound in finding a cure or a new way of dealing with Diabetes, only sincere.  By sharing a few spoken words and a few moments of attention a powerful effect on someone's day can be life changing.  I encourage you to extend the comfort that God has given you.  Strike up conversations in your everyday path, and you will see how many people are incredibly lonely and think that no one cares!

Our verse today was "God has chosen you and made you his holy people", this means that Reed has been chosen to take on the world with his disease, "He loves you.  So you should clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12).  The hardest for me is patience, I am praying for grace, love, and kindness for our family and yours.

"Arrange whatever pieces come your way" (Virginia Woolf).

As a Christian, I am always challenged with the question, "What does God want for my life?".  If I had asked myself this 3 weeks ago, I would have said happy/healthy children, a great marriage, and the ability to plant seeds wherever I go.  When I ask myself this question today, there are a few alterations I have made to my answer.  It has taken me a few days to realize that I do have happy/healthy children, a great marriage, and I still have the ability to plant seeds EVERYWHERE I go.  My territory has been expanded 10 fold, and my life and blessings have been favored and claimed in ways I can not imagine.

I go to one of my favorite books, "The Prayer of Jabez".  The prayer reveals that Jabez understands many things that people do not.  There is only ONE GOD...yes, I will repeat, ONE GOD!!!!  He needs to be the center of our world, our work, our life, our children.  How awesome!!!  In Proverbs 16:3 it says, "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established".  My works have been committed for a while to the Lord, and I know that my thoughts are already established.  He will increase my territory to plant my seeds EVERYWHERE I go!

This struggle that everyone has with choosing to rely on God is perfectly normal...a growing process.  God is always faithful to those who serve Him.  Yes, I said always, not sometimes, not every other day, but every single day that ends in Y!

Reed is attempting something in his life that is so big that failure is guaranteed, but God will step in to intercede in his everyday life.  He has been our blessing from day one, I ask you...what are your blessings today, and what were they 3 weeks ago?  Have they changed significantly or have they changed just a little?  Either way, God knows what He wants for our lives.

Reed has had a pretty good few days.  We go back to the doctor on Thursday, and I have made a promise to myself and Reed that no matter how difficult I find it, I am not going to constantly ask him if he is ok.  He has reminded me on numerous occasions that he will let me know if he is not OK!  So as much as I frown, I smile because I know that he will let me know whether he is ok or not!

My prayer today is for you to have comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, and laughter to kiss your lips, but most of all  love to complete every part of your life...

Father, teach my children "the secret of....

Father, teach my children the "secret of being content in any and every situation...through Him who gives them strength" (Philippians 4:12-13).  This is my prayer tonight for my children.  The great commission placed on my heart tonight, as I type, is to smile at everyone, it is an easy and powerful way to show that Christ is at work in me.

Reed has had a great two days.  His blood sugar has fluctuated, it even dropped this afternoon while being at the pool  to 63...but his dad did what he needed to and it has been up ever since.  I am still very unsure of how we are making it day to day, but I know that it is God's strength.  I am praying for his favor, for that amazing young man, and know that God has a great plan in his life that is beyond measure.

Some of you have asked how Reed "got Type 1 Diabetes", and the answer is that it is not contagious, it just happens.  There are no warning signs and it does not just jump on you...(big laugh).  Type 1 Diabetes is different than Type 2 because it is not asked for.  Type 1 is when the pancreas shuts down and does not work at all, whereas Type 2 is due to diet, lack of exercise, and your pancreas still works, just not enough to keep up with your body.  Type 1 takes time to adapt to the disease, however it does not prevent us from living a full and active life.  With the right kind of support from people like you, that are reading our blog, Reed will live, learn to cope, and thrive regardless of the demands that the disease imposes.

I go to one of my favorite versus of scripture, "Do not be bitter or angry or mad.  Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others.  Never do anything evil.  Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ."  Ephesians 4:31-32.  Pray for your children, for their favor from God, and for their strength and courage to handle anything this world brings to them.

Reed reminded me of this today.  God will protect and guide us to make the best of this, just the way he has in other situations.

"Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers". (Robert Ingersoll)

The flower for our honey!  Reed took this picture last spring.

Today has been the absolute best day yet!  Blood sugar levels have been consistent, Reed had a friend over, and he is still saying that he will be the best patient Dr. Amrhein has ever had, and I will be the best mama he has ever had to deal with.  Don't tell anyone, but we even splurged and ate at Sonic tonight...yes, we had to take a little more insulin before bed, but how in the world can you be 14 and not eat Sonic.  His eyes are looking bright again, and I think he is only worried about the blood work in the morning, because he has become quite comfortable giving himself an injection in the tummy.

Just for those of you that do not know what got us to this point, a few weeks ago, he began complaining about a sore throat and not being able to get enough to drink.  Then when he would drink he would go to the bathroom excessively.  Over the weekend, he swam in Championships on Saturday afternoon and when we got back into the car he almost passed out.  We stopped and bought him a drink and essentially had to hold him up to get him to drink it.  We came home and HAD to get ready to go to the Miranda Lambert concert (grin).  Before the concert we ate burgers, and he seemed a little sluggish, however very exited (another BIG GRIN).  When we got to the concert he only asked for a soda...after he drank it, he became sick at his stomach, so much so that he sat for most of the remainder of the concert.

Sunday he would not hardly get out of bed or off of the sofa, and I knew that Monday morning I had to get a doctor's appointment ASAP!  In the mean time, I checked his blood sugar first thing Monday, and it was 240.  This was first thing in the morning, no food or drink on board, and still elevated.  By the time we got to the doctor that afternoon it has soared to over 400.  We were directly admitted to GHS...his first hospital stay overnight since he was born.  He showed such signs of bravery and love for life.

Since we have been to the pediatric endocrinologist, that we LOVE, we are living life making honey without flowers!  We have an appointment Friday morning, July 23 to learn about carbohydrates!!!