The in-between

I’m going to say it.  Diabetes IS a big part of our life here in the Schuhmacher household.

Don’t have a heart attack from shock-a-prise-ment.  You know it to be true.

If I were a puzzle, diabetes would make up most of the pieces right now.

But here’s the thing.  I never let those pieces snap into place.  They take up a big part of my life, and they are always scattered around…but they are lying on the table, loose…separated. 

Because I always leave space for the “in-between.”

The in-between is like water after walking in the desert for days with no respite.

The in-between is like the breeze after a hot stagnant day.

The in-between is like flowers on a plant you thought was wasted.

The in-between is like the cheese on the pizza.

The in-between is the best stuff.

It soothes out the rough edges of my life and flows into the cracks of my soul to make it all better.

The in-between is the salve to everything that aches.

My in-between is:

Giggles from my children after a long day.

A call from a far away friend that I have desperately missed.

An answered prayer.

The perfect bruschetta.

A clean house with my feet up, catching up on my favorite show.

A messy house with a child’s artwork all over the table and the floor.

A long walk as the sun sets in front of my view.

An unexpected gift.

A nuzzle from my dog when I walk in the door.

A joke that made me snort because I laughed so hard.

The smell of clean laundry.

The song that made me dance in the car.

A good book.

My first paycheck in 15 years.

An unexpected adventure with a friend.

The in-between fills in all the porous cracks and turns Our Diabetic Life simply into, “life.”

Yes, most of the pieces in my life have diabetes written in big red letters.  But even though it looks like our big picture, it isn’t.  It is the boring, repetitive stuff that we do without having to give it second thought. (Most of the time.) It is such an automatic part; there is no heartbeat to it.  It is a stone that we must forever keep skipping on the surface of the water, which is tedious, yes…but while it skips…our efforts produce the ripples.

And everyone knows the ripples are the best, most beautiful part.

Just like the in-between.

Diabetes is a big part.  But it isn’t the best part.

And that is why our family will not only survive this disease…but thrive too.