Truly Thankful

The bird and dressing have been in a low, slow oven since late last night. Soon it’ll be time to start cooking all of the trimmings and getting the final items ready for today’s feast. As I sit here writing this, enjoying a cup of coffee, watching cartoons with my grandson, I am very thankful for this day, more than I have been in years probably.

Looking back, I’ve not felt as good as I do now, the last few months, in a couple of years or longer. Yes, I’m a diabetic now and have to make better and different choices, but those changes have led to a much healthier and happier me. I look forward to these things only getting better and being around and more useful for and to my family for quite some time, Lord willing.

I am not even apprehensive about the big carb-filled meal we’ll be sitting down to in a matter of hours. I know there’s a good chance I’ll make a poor choice but I’m conscious of what it too much now and know a bad choice or day doesn’t mean doom. I’m also very close to one of my short term weight goals and very motivated to hit it. So I plan on just enjoying the time and the meal with my family, without worrying over little things.

God has truly blessed me in my life. And I , now, see this diagnosis as a Type-2 diabetic as a blessing in disguise. Without it who knows how poor my health would be and how far I would’ve already deteriorated. Yes, u truly am a thankful man today – and everyday.

Christmas Pajamas

We have a little tradition of sorts around our house of giving pajamas as gifts to open on Christmas Eve. As long as I can remember my wife and I have given our kids a pair of PJs to wear on Christmas morning as a gift to open on Christmas Eve ; this practice has tapered off the past few years with our children growing up and moving out on their own.

Last year my wife surprised me with a pair of new pajamas on Christmas morning, something we hadn’t done as part our tradition in the past. I was amused and touched by the gift; I reckoned that I’m her baby now! But I knew that the pajama pants would be too small with one look at them. I put them away, later, after all the gifts were opened and forgot about them – until today.

Old Man Winter is toying with us, playing with the barometric pressure and temperature, today. As many of you know, the change in the pressure really aggravates my arthritis so today has been a not-so-good day; I did almost nothing (again) today with my achy joints. I did manage to fold and put away a little laundry this afternoon though and that’s when I saw those pants tucked away in my wardrobe. Nearly a year later and several pounds lighter, I decided to try them on and to my delight they fit me just perfectly!

Diabetes took almost 40 unexplained pounds off my body since last winter; my lifestyle changes have added another near 30 pounds to that tally in the last few months. I’ve noticed that my other clothes were getting too big, or fitting better, in the last month or so but I don’t think I had realized yet how much the difference really was until today. And this revelation came at a very good time for me, having felt so bad the last two weeks or so.

Another “little victory” in the war to master the disease, rather than be it’s slave. And as always, it was given to me in just the right time; God is good, all the time.