Happy Type 1 Day (and Happy Anniversary)

Today kicks off a month of diabetes awareness. I’ll be wearing lots of blue and sharing my life with diabetes with those who ask. Awareness and advocacy are why I do what I do! Today specifically is Type 1 Day. (Hey! That’s me!) It also kicks off the Big Blue Test, and it means I should start on my postcard! If diabetes has taught me anything over the years, it’s that diabetes is not all about me, but about all those around me who support me through ups and downs, highs and lows, victories and defeats. For me, no one matches that description better than my parents. Today, they celebrate 36 years of marriage, and I’d like to say thank you to them.

When they vowed to love one another all those years ago, they had no idea what was to come….

1. They didn’t know they’d have a boy and three years later, have a girl.
2. They didn’t know the 10 years they would spend in Alabama would be a blessing because it’s where their children would accept Christ.
3. They didn’t know that when dad hit his 40s, he would be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
4. No one told them at 11 years old, their daughter would be diagnosed with type 1.
5. No one told my mom how much patience would be required to keep up with two rambunctious kids on a rainy, summer day.
6. Neither knew their son would be a wuss and require five nurses to hold him down for a few stitches.
7. Subsequently, they didn’t know he would think he was Evil Knievel either.
8. My dad didn’t know his daughter would be a Daddy’s Girl.
9. No one told them she’d require stitches after a measly stuffed animal fight.
10. And they sure didn’t know what having two teenagers would require.
11. They didn’t know what it was like to lose a parent.
12. Or to lose both, 11 days apart.
13. No one told them that sometimes, they would have to be strong while their children fell apart.
14. No one told them their boiling point meant running around with a giant flip-flop and yelling.
15. They didn’t know about back surgeries, knee surgeries and hospital stays.
16. They didn’t know what it would feel like to get a call in the middle of the night because their daughter went into insulin shock at a friend’s house.
17. They didn’t know how hard it would be to leave their child at college.
18. No one told them how special family Christmases would become.
19. And they didn’t know their pets would mean so much.
20. No one told my dad he’d drink tea in a pink hat.
21. No one told my mom she’d know all the characters in  Star Wars.
22. They didn’t know grandkids would come and be an overwhelming joy.
22. They didn’t know how proud they’d be to see their children succeed.
24. No one told them there would be major fights.
25. And no one told them how great it would be to make up.
26. They didn’t know they’d move away.
27. They didn’t know there would be Halloween festivals and holiday parades.
28. They didn’t know marriage would be so hard.
29. They didn’t realize they’d have smart-mouthed kids.
30. They didn’t realize how tough/stern/mean/unfair (OK, that last one was my word) they could be until they had those kids.
31. They didn’t know how good God really was.
32. They didn’t understand how important family would truly become.
33. They didn’t know they’d turn out just like their parents even though they swore they never would.
34. They didn’t know there would be gray hair.
35. They didn’t know they would Skype to keep in touch.
36. And they didn’t know they’d scold their daughter for putting their picture on her website.

When they vowed to love one another all those years ago, they had no idea what was to come. But they knew they loved each other and they put God in the center of that marriage. Everything else just seemed to work out. To have parents who still love one another, faults and all, is amazing. It’s an example I hope to one day follow. So to my parents, who have given me everything and always taken care of me, I love you! Happy Anniversary!