Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is everlasting strength.
June 2017 - Page 2 of 2 - GraceAndWorks
In life comes maturity, with maturity comes knowledge, with knowledge comes understanding and with understanding comes wisdom. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s work place, family life, friends or with this, a disease, if we don’t have the steps listed above, we will struggle and have difficult times. My daughter, Tami, has had to deal with this disease since she was 6 years old. This is her story and written by her.
What is Diabetes? A syndrome characterized by impaired insulin production. It is classified in 3 groups.
- Type 1, Juvenile, IDDM–Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus to be scientific. This is characterized by an abrupt onset of symptoms (excessive thirst, urination, lethargy) in childhood. People with this type of Diabetes have a pancreas that produces very little or no insulin and must take insulin injections or use an insulin pump to survive/live.
- Type 2, Adult onset, NIDDM–Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus to be scientific. This form of Diabetes is often seen in adults who have a family history of Diabetes, are over the age of 45, are overweight and still have a pancreas producing some insulin. This type of Diabetes is often able to be controlled through diet, exercise, oral medication and sometimes insulin injections.
- Gestation Diabetes–Diagnosed in pregnant women, typically around the 24th week, who have high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. These women typically have never had Diabetes and it resolves once the birth of the baby occurs.
- Whether you have type 1 or type 2, you have a lifetime commitment of monitoring blood sugars, what you eat, how much exercise you do, even down to your work and sleeping habits. This is a serious disease, it is a life long, life changing disease. It can take your eyesight, cause kidney failure/dialysis, stop your ability to feel pain (Neuropathy), cause cardiovascular/heart disease and increase the risk of stroke. In the past 20 years alone I have given myself approximately 29,000 injections, over 40,000 finger sticks to check my blood sugar as a type 1 Diabetic since age 6. In the 40 years of being a Diabetic, that will amount to over 50,000 shots, 100,000 finger sticks, and let’s not forget about the medication costs, Doctor visits and the visits to the ER.
- You think you feel fine and do not need to monitor your sugars or watch what you eat, that the complications will not affect you. Think again!! Ask the non-compliant type 2 Diabetic who lost his lower leg due to a foot ulcer, the same person who is now on dialysis 3 days a week for 4 hours a time, the person who now wishes they would have listened long ago and taken the disease seriously. Ask the spouse who lives with him how this affects her, changed their life, helped her be more in control of her Diabetes. Ask the family members how this has changed their lives, the worry they have and what will that next call be.
- Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. It causes more deaths that Breast Cancer and Aids combined. Don’t become another statistic!! Control your blood sugar, exercise, eat right, take your medication(s) and follow up regularly with your health care providers. Don’t let this disease control you–you control it!! By you taking control, you will reduce the risk of lifelong serious complications and life changing diseases.
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.
I remember sitting at a truck stop one time when we were on vacation and marveling at all the different loads. There were flatbeds, trailers with cars on them, big boxes on the trailers, lumber on some, steel on others, one with a big front end loader, couple others with farm tractors, and one that stood out had a refrigeration unit on the trailer. The reason that one stood out was because the tractor was a brilliant midnight blue color (Beautiful) with bright shiny chrome wheels, both on the tractor and the trailer. You could tell the owner had a lot of pride in this 18 wheeler and took good care of it. I had an idea he was hauling some kind of perishable goods and would end up on shelves somewhere. I watched as he climbed up into the drivers seat and got ready to roll. As he pulled out of his parking place, he looked in every direction to make sure nothing was coming and he was clear to go. He pulled onto the interstate highway and put the hammer down. Smoke bellowing out of the stacks and that big, beautiful midnight blue truck was soon out of sight. As we left, I remember thinking how all these trucks were carrying good stuff that someone needed. YAY to all the truckers that keep America turning.
Then after getting home, I remember sitting in my living room watching the garbage truck and the workers picking up all the garbage that we and the neighbors had put curb side. Unlike the Semis I saw carrying good stuff that someone wanted, these guys were carrying off all the stuff no one wanted or needed. What a difference in the usage of trucks.
I got to thinking about all the garbage we have in life. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just baggage it up, put it curb side and let the garbage truck pick it up and haul it away. Good riddance to all the stuff I don’t want and can’t use!! Then it came to me that I do have a way to get rid of all life’s garbage and not have to worry about it any more. GIVE it to GOD!! He’ll take it off your hands, do away with it and will also help get the good stuff back in life. Then I can be like the Semis, carrying a good load that I want and can be useful to me. YAY God!!
Have a good week all. SMILE God loves YOU!!
For indeed, those who are far from you shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it is good for me to draw near to God; That I may declare all Your works.
I’m writing this for those who have never experienced farm life and have no idea what happens. Also for those of us with memories, or living the life now. The skies are clear and the air is fresh and pure. No haze or smog. The sun shines bright during the day and the sky opens up wide at night with wonderful views of the moon and stars. You can see as far as your eyes will let you.
Life is not easy as a farmed/rancher, but is very rewarding. On our farm, we had 125 head of cattle that calved in the spring, 1280 acres of pasture, approximately 1300 acres of wheat, alfalfa, cane, prairie hay, oats, barley, and rye crops. We drove the tractors through the fields pulling equipment tilling the ground for new crops. We had haying equipment (Swathers, mowers, hay rakes, and balers) to put up the feed grain crops so we would have feed for the cattle in the winter time. There is nothing as succulent as the smell of fresh mowed hay or freshly tilled soil. The picture of combines coming through the land as they separate the grain from the stocks and the grain being augured into trucks to be taken to the elevator or bins for storage , is a picture of success, pleasure, pride, and satisfaction. We put up approximately 10,000 bales each summer from the alfalfa, cane, and prairie hay for the cattle feed. We also would bale wheat straw for bedding, so when winter came the cattle would have dry places to lay.
Our food was the best there is. We raised our own beef, pork, and chickens. We had farm fresh eggs, milk, cream, and vegetables from the garden. Mom would store vegetables and fruit in mason jars so we would have them in the winter time. Bing cherries were to kill for–so delicious.
Storms would come up as the sky would fill with huge bellowing clouds in the western sky line. In the summer time, that would mean thunder storms filled with moisture for the crops. A welcome to all unless there were hail stones in the clouds which would reek havoc on the crops. In the winter time those clouds would bring snow storms. If there was wind in the clouds with heavy snow, well, you can imagine the drifts and problems on the farm, especially when we had to keep the cattle fed. Getting tractors started and hauling hay to the cattle could almost become impossible, but somehow we always managed to get the job done. Life on the farm–rewarding, yes–hard work, yes, but what a satisfying way of life and when the skies clear everything is back to normal.
As I thought about this, I realized my walk as a Christian parallels in many ways. The work is hard (God never said it was going to be easy), the walk is as clear as the skies, it’s rewarding, and very satisfying. There will be storms that reek havoc, but won’t last long and after they pass, all will be back to normal. God will see you through those storms, if you let Him
Have a good week all!!
On the Day of Pentecost, when Christ established His Church, Peter and the other Apostles were there. Peter was preaching about Jesus and when the multitudes heard him, in verse 37, they asked, “Men and brethren what shall we do?” Peter answered in verse 38, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the Holy Spirit.”
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