The Joyous News!

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-14

Why did the angel say, “unto you”? He could have just said, “For a Savior, Christ, the Lord is born this day.” But he says, ‘Unto you!”

He uses those words because they describe why the news is so joyous! The child is born unto you! Unto all the people! The child is born:

* Not just to the rich and powerful,
* Not just to the Pharisees and Sadducees,
* Not just to the chief priests and the scribes,

But to you! To all the people, young and old, rich and poor, healthy and sick, strong and weak. The prophecy had said, “unto us a child is born.” So the angel says, “This child is born unto you! Truly, a good and great joy.

This is the joyous news, the great joy! Unto you has been born a Savior, the Messiah – the Lord! This is the day, the long-awaited day, the day when there would be no more delay. The child is born. The Messiah is come.

* Unto you – lost in sin, dead in rebellion, doomed to destruction;
* Unto you – mockers of God, violators of His Law, idolaters at heart;

This child Himself will be your peace. This child will be your entryway to God. This child will die to pay the penalty for your sins, if you only believe in Him, if you only see Him for what He is: Your Savior, your Messiah, your Lord, your treasure. Unto you is born this day a Savior.

H.O.P.E.

Hope, defined as;

...a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances one's life.
... the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
...a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.

Hope in Afrikanns is hoop
Hope in Dutch is hopen
Hope in Finnish is toivoa
Hope in German is hoffe, Hoffnung, Hoffnung, hoffen, hoffen
Hope in Italian is sperare, speranza
Hope in Latin is spero, spes
Hope in Spanish is esperanza
No matter how you say it, it's still H.O.P.E.

• Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. Dale Carnegie

• Hope is passion for what is possible. Soren Kierkegaard

• Don't lose hope. When it gets darkest the starts come out. Unknown

• It is difficult to say what is impossilble, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. Robert H. Goddard

• Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tunes without the words and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Psalms 31:24

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:25

Hope, without it, what is there?

HAPPY 11th!

Today is a special day.
Today is my baby boy's birthday.
Please help us celebrate over at "The Spore Family Blog."

See ya there!

Uber Amazing!!

Life was so hard this past weak...my hard drive crashed...I know there are many of you out there that can sympathize with me! I mean, what's a blogging, social networking SAHM to do without her blogging, Twitter, and everything else that goes with it?!?!?! Thank goodness my son was gracious enough to let me borrow his. Well, that's not quite how it happened, but in order to keep this a "family" blog, that's how it's going down!

I did receive some exciting, jump up and down, wave your hands in the air news while I was out of touch with my cyber-life... I was awarded my very FIRST bloggy award...thanks to Journey2Learn
I've always admired the awards I'd seen on other peoples blogs! Now I have one of my very own! <> So what is this award all about?!

This is a blog award given to a site that:

~ inspires you
~ makes you smile and laugh
~ or maybe gives amazing information
~ a great read
~ has an amazing design
~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:

* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Thanks again to Journey2Learn! Take a look at her amazing blog! Now I get to have some fun of my own! I nominate the following 5 blogs I think are Uber Amazing....

• Isabella A heart-warming story of a young family and their baby girl, Isabella who has Truncus Arteriosus and DiGeorge Syndrome.

• Never A Dull Moment Need some good reading with a touch of humor? You're sure to have a smile on your face after reading life from this ladies perspective!

• Classy Mommy Excellent baby product reviews with a portion given to charity!

• Good and Crazy People- Are MY kind of people!! Join Clarissa (co-hostess of GIRL'S NIGHT OUT #gno on Twitter!) An amazing way to connect with fellow twitterers and have great conversations. Last wk Clarisaa and Jyl led a virtual food drive, raising over $1,000 on Twitter. (You can still donate through November 21st! Click here!)

• The Daily Blonde- Just the sweet girl next door with a hint of sarcasm...
  

Life For A Child

Globally Type 1 diabetes is the MOST common form of diabetes in children, affecting around 500,000 under 15 years of age. Keep in mind however, that children of any age; teens, adolescents, toddlers, even babies can be struck by this life-long disease. My two boys are proof of that. If not detected early enough in a child, diabetes can be fatal! Yet diabetes in a child is often completely overlooked: it is often misdiagnosed as the flu or it is not diagnosed at all!

• Every DAY 200 more children develop Type 1 diabetes!
• Every YEAR, 70,000 children under the age of 15 develop Type 1 diabetes.
• Type 1 diabetes is increasing in children at a rate of 3%/yearly
• Type 1 diabetes is increasing the fastest in preschool aged children, at a rate of 5%/yearly.
• Over half of children with diabetes develop complications within 15 years. That's only 5 more years for our son Ethan.

My heart aches not only for my own children, Ethan and Caleb, but for those children who aren't as fortunate. Diabetes is a deadly disease! NO child should die of diabetes, yet each year there are at least 4 million deaths from diabetes=related causes! Children, particularly in countries where there limited access to diabetes care and supplies, die at a very young age. Children just like Ethan and Caleb. Ethan has lived with diabetes for 10 years now and Caleb three.
We are SO thankful to live in a country where their diabetic supplies are accessible,costly, yet accessible, and their diabetes care is a short distance away. Others are not so fortunate.
Children in underdeveloped countries die quickly of high blood sugar levels through inaccurate diagnosis, lack of insulin or lack of expert care. In other countries, expert care is available, but resources are limited and so early and serious complications frequently lead to death in young adulthood.

• In Zambia, a child with Type 1 diabetes can expect to live an average of 11 years. Ethan has lived 10 years with diabetes.
• In Mali, the same child can expect to live for only 30 months, or 2.5 years.
• In Mozambique, the child is likely to die within ONE year.

Without your help these children have a very dim future. What can we do? What can you do to help save the life of a child? I've been waiting for you to ask! I'd like to introduce you to, "Life For A Child" hosted by The International Diabetes Foundation

"The International Diabetes Federation's Life for a Child Program supports the care of close to 1100 children in over 18 countries worldwide. The program meets the children's immediate needs (insulin, syringes, monitoring and education), builds local capacity and lobbies governments to establish sustainable solutions."

One of the easiest way to support the health care of children in underdeveloped countries, is through a tax deductible donation to "Life For A Child." A dollar a day covers a child's care for a day. You can give once or on a regular basis, $1 or $50, your choice. Just click on the banner below and it will take you to the program's donation page. Just think, you could be saving the life of a child. What better present can you give yourself or in the honor of another?

Another opportunity to make a difference is by being an advocate for the future of children with Type 1 diabetes in developing countries through the "Life For A Child" program. This simply consists of finding 10 or more individual sponsors through your company, business, organization, etc. I will be hosting a sponsor drive on my blog in the next couple of weeks, so make sure and check back to see how you can help me personally reach this goal!

Do you have another way to help those less fortunate than yourself? Please feel free to leave a comment below and share with me.

Hypoglycemia

IF YOU HAVE LOW BLOOD SUGAR, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. Check your blood sugar.
2. If less than 70 mg/d, eat 15 grams of fast acting carbohydrate.
   • If your glucose is under 55 mg/dl, double amount of carbohydrate.
3. WAIT 15 MINUTES, then recheck your blood glucose level.
   • If it's still under 70 mg/dL repeat number 2 above, and check your blood glucose again in 15 minutes.
4. Once your blood glucose is above 70 mg/dL, if your next meal is more than 15 minutes away, eat a carbohydrate snack.
5. Evaluate the possible cause of your low blood glucose.
   • Too little food or late meal?
   • Extra exercise?
   • Too much insulin?
     

PLEASE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT ALL PEOPLE WITH DIABETES ARE DIFFERENT. NOT EVERYONE WILL REACT THE SAME WAY!!!!! THESE ARE GENERAL SYMPTOMS AND PROCEDURES ONLY!

Off The Subject-Great Giveaway!

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