Change

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Change - November 17, 2008
I've recently made several changes in my life and decided I would join the 21st century and blog. (For those who are even further behind the times than I am - and that can't be many of you - a blog is a web log or journal, kept in reverse chronological order.) Most of the blog topics circulating in my brain this morning have to do with all the changes confronting me on a daily basis.
Just two short months ago, I lived in the country on a small amount of acreage. While Steve was gone to work, I had the cows, chickens and goats to keep me company. (And I mustn't forget the emu that constantly tried to court me.) Now, we are settled in our new home in a subdivision and life has taken on a different routine.
The two months have been very busy. Early in September, we began watching the course of Tropical Storm Ike, which later formed into a hurricane. The afternoon of September 12, the winds began to blow and we hunkered down with our daughter and two grandsons at the house in the country. We watched from the one unboarded window to see trees snapping and debris flying. The wind no longer whistled through the trees, but howled with an intensity I remembered hearing as a child when our family rode out Hurricane Carla. When the winds and rain finally stopped, we found that Ike had destroyed a portion of the back of the house, fences, parts of the barn and many trees. None of the animals were hurt and we were all safe. I'd like to say that daily routines went back to normal, but life is not that easily reset after a major hurricane. Power and water were not restored to our area for two weeks. In that time, however, we had to get repairs finished on the house and grounds as we had a contract to sell.
We ended up moving twice, while waiting for our new home to be ready for occupancy. It seemed like a long time in between the moves, but by October 15, we were in our new home. I've made many new friends and am enjoying my life in the "burbs".
We chose this neighborhood for several reasons. My sister and her husband moved here last spring and we loved it the minute we drove in. We now live on the same street as my sister, only nine houses separating us. And today, my parents are closing on a home the opposite direction from my sister's, with nine houses separating us. More changes coming as we all get settled in.
Our subdivision is beautiful and is a community for active seniors. (Steve says he hopes they don't make him be too active.) I'm enjoying the activities planned for the community and events held at the clubhouse. Since most of the houses around us were also just moved into, I hosted a brunch last Saturday for the ladies to get to know one another. It was a lot of fun and gave us all a sense of belonging.
I've started walking every morning with my sister and another neighbor and find myself enjoying it. I don’t like to use the word "exercise", but the pace these girls walk is not a stroll. We briskly saunter around the community lake, enjoying the water view, the fountain sprays, the waddling ducks and the early morning company. I come home energized and ready to tackle my day.
A couple of other changes have taken place recently also. One is that I have finally decided to take control of my diabetes. I let it get out of hand, by ignoring common sense rules for diabetics. I never monitored my blood glucose levels. I always said that I could tell what the numbers were by the way I felt and that (of course), I was fine. The problem was that I was only really understanding the blood glucose levels when they were extremely high or extremely low. By that time, I would usually be past a simple fix and had to deal with the problem more drastically. With the help of my doctor, we have experimented with some different diabetic medications, their dosage and timing. Along with the walking and now watching what I eat, I have my blood sugar levels under control. In addition, I know they are under control because I monitor my levels three or four times a day now. I'll blog more on this later and share what I have learned about diabetes and life from the lessons God is teaching me.
Another recent change is the diagnosis of high function autism for one of our grandsons. This is a diagnosis that has been a long time in coming, but with it, we feel that we will be in a better position to give him what he needs to succeed in life. Mind you, Tyler did not just now develop autism. He has had it since he was young. He has not changed. We have. The diagnosis has brought understanding and with understanding comes hope and the ability to cope with the struggles along the way. My daughter and I are scheduled to attend the Texas State Conference on Autism in early December. We want to learn all we can to help this child through life. I'll also be blogging from time to time on what we learn about autism.
As I write this, I have to ask myself, what, if anything, have I learned from so many recent changes in my life. I've learned that God loves me. When the storm blew through our area, yes, we had damage. However, God spared us. We felt the effects of the storm, but he was obviously watching over us. So many of the other things I've written about today are the storms of life, repairs to a home, moving, health issues, the concerns of an autistic child. But through all the changes, God remains constant. When we were in our temporary home, God spoke to me with several new devotional ideas. I praise Him for the fresh intake He gave me on scriptures. Here, in my new home, He continues to minister to my spirit through His word. With my diabetes, God made my body. Just because I chose before to ignore built in signals to my system, doesn't mean God's design wasn't what He wanted. He has things to teach me and I will learn them through listening to the wisdom He brings my way. Just as Tyler didn't change with his diagnosis of autism, but those around him are changing as they learn, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God doesn't change, but we change as we learn more about Him. My prayer today is that all those who read today's blog, will learn to accept the changes that come in their life and embrace the One that will forever be the same.