Diabetes Blessings

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States. This is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I get 2 days off, AND I get to spending it eating ginormous amounts of food and watching the Macy's Day Parade on TV. :)

But this week, thanks to Mike from My Diabetic Heart, it is also Diabetes Blessings Week. It is a wonderful idea in which we remind ourselves of the good things that diabetes has brought into our lives.

It can be easy to only think about the bad things that come with having a chronic illness. But sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that there is an up side to everything. And blessings, even in the storm.

One of the things that I am the most thankful for is the D-OC. Not only have I been blessed with friends that understand and live with the same illness that I live with, I've also been introduced to people whom I would consider friends even if we didn't share the common bond of diabetes.

I've met people who share my same interests, my same hobbies, and in one case, even my same birthday (Hi Karen!).

These people, that I consider friends, I would have never had the chance to meet if it weren't for diabetes. That is probably my biggest diabetes blessing.

But diabetes has blessed me in other ways as well. I have learned discipline. I've learned patience. I've learned to plan ahead. I've learned to always be prepared. I've learned about the kindness of strangers. I've learned to be kind to strangers. I've learned compassion. I've learned to eat healthier. I've learned the need to have regular check-ups. I've learned the importance of tooth and eye care.

Diabetes has some amazing blessings in the middle of all of the bad stuff it hands us. And I, for one, am thankful that I can and DO see the blessings that diabetes has brought into my life.