Today, I have the pleasure of bringing you a post from Katie Hodge. A jewelry designer and teacher by trade, Katie is relatively new to both blogging and the diabetes online community, so please help me welcome her! :)
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Hi! I’d like to introduce myself just a little bit, since I’m pretty new to this community, and a little bit shy for a blogger. ;-)
I’m Katie… I’m 23, looking forward to my 2nd wedding anniversary in July, and puppy-momma to a tiny, fuzzy Charlemagne. I was diagnosed with Type 1 September 3, 1999… shortly after turning 12. I use a Minimed pump, and sometimes a Dexcom CGM. Since getting married, I have also discovered that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome. I’m kinda infertile (which is heartwrenching) but the insulin resistance is the more medically crummy symptom. It has been quite an adventure assembling a medical team to get me pregnant! Other than medical stuff—I am a jewelry designer. That’s the main focus of my blog. I also love bargains, crafting of ALL sorts, and baking. I’m excited to meet y’all!
What I would love to focus on today is something that I’ve been mulling over since Kim’s post about the Promise Book and a conversation with my Grandma. They really struck something in me, and got me thinking about my heart. Yeah, deep, I know. I’m not usually, but roll with me, please!
I was having a classic Bad Day, and talked to my Grandma on the phone. We were fairly estranged for most of my childhood, and have reconnected mostly since my marriage. Her encouragement, the realization that she and I are so much alike, and her words, “It is good to hear your voice,” are all priceless treasures. There is a verse in the Bible about “treasuring these things in [my] heart,” and while this is a WAY (WAY, WAY!!) different situation, I began to identify with the sentiment.
Picture, as I have been, your heart as a cabinet. I am a notoriously, horrendously, tragically disorganized person… so my cabinet has been pretty messy... but I’m working on straightening it up. Like with a real cabinet, when your heart is cluttered, it is really easy to misplace things and forget what you have. So, here’s a partial inventory of mine:
- My faith. Actually, it is kinda more like the shelves in the closet—it helps me make sense and order of chaos.
- My husband. Well, duh. Doesn’t get a lot better than this man. <3
- Promise book: This is a recent addition, but an important one. I added this after Kim posted about it. This is where I extend grace to people who may not necessarily deserve it! I added this and chucked the book where I “kept a record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:5) Granted, this was a reasonably small volume—I am a nice person, after all—but any book like this needs purged!
- Family: Some of these are a little discouraging at times, but they’re mine. Other times, they are beautiful and fantastic. Kinda analogous to photo albums...
- Heritage: I am a descendant on my dad’s side of many of the great kings of Europe—especially France—as well as beautiful strong Appalachian people. I’m finding a lot of identity as I explore what this means to me.
- Trinket box: This is where I keep the little keepsakes… like loving words or gestures, smiles from strangers, being stood up for, words of encouragement… the things I can look back on and smile, my small but priceless treasures.
Ah. It feels good to have organized and inventoried some of that… I think I’ll keep working on it for my own benefit. This was something I needed in my life… I hope it has inspired you to clean out your heart’s closet, chuck the garbage, and maybe rediscover some treasures you can be cherishing! Is there anything in your “closet” you’d like to share about?
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What a wonderful idea - to stop, take a minute, and appreciate the good things in life. Thank you for this thoughtful post, Katie!
You can find Katie blogging at Always, Katie and on Twitter as @AlwzKT.
Welcome to the DOC! I enjoyed your blog post, and I also enjoyed reading your blog. Good luck with getting pregnant. I will have lived with Type I for 39 years in July, and when I was first diagnosed I was told that (in addition to a short life expectancy) I could never get pregnant. I didn't, as it turns out, and often wish I had. So I say "Go for it!" Doctors know a lot more than they did 39 years ago!
ReplyDeleteI went to college in western Pennsylvania, and I'm guessing you're from there, or maybe Ohio. Why? Because you write "—but any book like this needs purged!" Where I live (near to New York City) we'd say "any book like this needs TO BE purged!"
Funny... I AM from Ohio--southwest, near-ish Dayton. But, I'm surprised that I left out "to be." Chalk it up to informal voice, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks-that was great! : ) I need to edit mine too, but i love your organized chaotic heart! Holly
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