Why 30 minutes?

When the movie Steel Magnolias came out, I loved it. (If you haven't seen it, then this probably won't make much sense to you, and you are clearly missing out on a HUGE part of American culture. Put it on your weekend "to do" list!) Not only was it set in the South, but it had such intriguing characters and great one-liners! When I married my husband, I even tried to get a bleeding armadillo groom's cake! So when our daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, memories from Steel Magnolias flashed through my mind, and I was terrified that my daughter would suffer Shelby's fate. Thankfully, treatments for type 1 diabetes have come a long way since the 1980s, and while there is still no cure, there is more hope. Managing a life-threatening disease, however, is still a daunting daily task. It's difficult to live a "normal" life while constantly on a roller coaster that might end in disaster at any moment. But I refuse to let diabetes or anything else ruin what God has intended to be a joyful life. As Shelby says, "I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."