And we are off!!!

I have had a great response with the bracelets!  Here is a link to donate to our cause.  The bracelets are $3 each and you can pay here  (http://www.gofundme.com/4k0xkg)  or send a check/cash to my address.  Not sure I want to put my address on here, so email me at sarahreichling@mac.com for my home address!

To Walk or Not to Walk

Since Anna was diagnosed our family has participated in the JDRF Walk for a Cure.  It always falls right around the time Anna was diagnosed, so it's kinda like her diabetic birthday celebration.  (crazy, i know.)  We design t-shirts and invite all to come walk with us.  Then the night of the walk we invite everyone over to my parents' house for hotdogs and games.  This pictures in white shirts are from our first year and pink shirts are from last year.  It has been awesome to see our friends, new and old come together to walk with us.  But this year will look a little different.

Anna handles her diabetes like a champ.  This summer she decided that she wanted to take a break from the pump and go on shots for awhile.  This means that she would be getting at least 3, if not 4 or 5 shots a day.  It was amazing to watch my 8 year old give herself a shot all by herself.  While I think she handles things like a rock star, she

has struggled with coping with her disease.  When Anna was diagnosed, she was 4.  At that time, Anna would have jumped off a building if Joel or I had asked her to.  That's how she handled her diabetes, we told her she had to, so even with a few tears she would do as she was told and move on.  Now that she is a little older, she has more questions and emotions when it comes to her diabetes.  This summer, especially, we have had MANY tears about how it 's not fair and when are they going to find a cure (which is still a long ways off)?  She doesn't want anything to do with diabetes.  So when I asked her about the JDRF Walk this year, she didn't seem that interested.  The Walk was not high on her to do list, but she still wanted to have the party at Grandma and Grandpa's!  Can I blame her?  What 8 year old wouldn't want a party?!?  So here is what we have decided to do...

This year, instead of focusing on finding a cure for our own problem, we are going to focus on helping someone else out.  We will still have the Diabetic Birthday Party (really just celebrating that we made it through another year of diabetes).   She and I had a long conversation last night about all the people in the world that have to deal with UNFAIR things.  It's not just her.  We talked about Autism, severe peanut allergies, poverty, cancer and a few others.  We talked about people in 3rd world countries who have to walk miles to get a drink of water and how sometimes that water contains things that can make them very sick or die.  Anna decided she wants to help build a well in Africa.  We talked about all kinds of ways to raise money for this well.  One way that she decided is to make bracelets with her rainbow loom and sell them.  Then any money she makes will go to the well.  We are going through Blood Water Missions.  They focus on helping with the AIDS/HIV and Water problems of Africa.  Check them out here:  www.bloodwatermission.com   Are you interested in a bracelet?  We are taking orders!!

Even though we are not walking in the JDRF Walk for a Cure, it is still near and dear to us.  I pray for a cure everyday.  If you would still like to donate to JDRF, please do so.  In fact, here is a link to a friend of ours whose daughter was also diagnosed about the same age as Anna.  She and her family will be walking this year in the walk and if you would like to donate to them, you would still be helping us find a cure.  Read about Ellen Klare

here:  http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-TX/Chapter-HoustonGulfCoast4644?px=2922175&pg=personal&fr_id=2411

Book Study with my Bestie

So, I really wish I was a more consistent Blogger.  What a great way to record the thoughts and pictures in your life.  I love being able to get all my thoughts written down.  I just feel I never have much to write about.  But now, today, I am starting a book.  Reading one that is, not writing.  My bestie and I are reading "7 - An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker.  I love her blog.  The bestie and I decided to do a book study together and she recommended this one.  I guess I should use a different word than recommended.  She had heard of it, but was a little weary to read it.  I felt the same way.  Do I really want to read a book that is going to point out how 'wealthy' I am compared to the rest of the word.  Do I really want to be challenged to give up certain comforts while reading this book?  We were both intrigued by the book, but like I said, unsure we wanted to do it.  So I bit the bullet and ordered my book before we could change our mind.  Now it's time to get started.  I think this is going to be a hard book to follow through on.  That is why I have told myself I am going to blog about reading/doing the book.  Here's the book in a nutshell:  Seven months, seven areas, reduced to seven simple choices.  The areas are food, clothes, possessions, media, waste, spending and stress.  I love in the introduction that Jen says, "I'm ready to adopt Jesus' version of rich, blessed and generous."

That's as far as I have gotten, the Introduction.  Pray for me.