ETA: My reply is in your quote. Sorry about that.

Are you saying you think that sexuality and gender identity are decisions one makes? That making a different decision is just as possible? Rejecting someone because of who they are at the core is what i think is being discussed here.

I am not Laura and she can speak for herself, but the way I understand her use of approval is about acceptance of core self, not approval of actions. Gender identity and sexual orientation are at the fundamental core of identity. When the queer and gay are routinely spoken of as sinful, even when qualified by "love the sinner" rhetoric, most persons will internalize the utter shame of themselves when they cannot match the ideal presented by religion or culture. In a separate vein, the issue I see with the dogmatic religious prohibitions of gender and sexual orientation differences, is when a religious organization, or individual using religious reasoning, is so sure they are right, and other views are wrong, that they feel justified in persecuting (overtly or merely with thinly veiled words of contempt) those you fall in the above categories. I was an older teen when I realized that there were many, many religions, and many more people that felt as certain of the absolute truth of their own beliefs as were those in the religion in which I was raised. And they equated "belief" with "knowledge". Taking a step back, it was shocking that a subjective belief could be used to attempt to coerce others to fall in line with those perticular beliefs. As if one set of beliefs could be shown to be superior to all others.

I would like to join.

((Yael)) I am very sorry for your loss.

Church teachings change over time. Why religious standards often lag societal ones is something that bothers me tremendously. It will only be a matter of time before most religions accept that sexual orientation is an inborn quality, not a "lifestyle choice". That someone can have the perspicacity to understand that sexual orientation is *not* a choice, and the compassion to accept that *all* persons should be able to persue meaningful intimate relationships despite religious strictures to the contrary, speaks to the credit of the individual, not the current teaching of a particular religious organization.

With no snark or disrespect intended, what kind of health care system would you envision as ideal?

I would really appreciate hearing an answer to this. Lawana Sitting in the hospital with my 81yo mother for her 4th hospitization in 9 months, very aware that her care is absolutely determined by Medicare rules

Love all the suggestions! I regularly read to 4 yo twins and a 22 mo old. Silly Sally is a favorite I haven't seen mentioned yet.

The A1c is just one test. One measure amongst many. It is not the end all and be all of all diabetes tests. The fact that your fasting bg has come down as much as it has is evidence that you are making progress! Yay you!! You are still learning. I bet if you will continue your efforts, you will be healthier, regardless of what one test result may say. You have not failed. You have succeeded! The A1c is not a report card on your efforts. Another possible tool is a CGMS (Continuous glucose monitoring system). A sensor inserted into you skin measures the interstitial glucose levels and provides a graph of the results. It can be done for a 3-7 day trial and you get the results either in real time or after the fact. I don't know if insurance would cover it for a pre diabetic, but it can be very enlightening.

Someone already mentioned Sunday Assembly. There is another secular organization called Oasis that is set up to provide community on a non-faith basis. http://www.peoplearemoreimportant.org/faq/ Oasis is in a number of cities--it may be coming to a place near you!

Thank you so much for the update. You and Nate are in my thoughts frequently. Nothing like a baby and his mama. He knows where he wants to be.

Yes. It is sized to run the refriderators and freezer, lights, the blower on the gas furnace, one eye of the stove, but not the oven or clothes dryer. Dh is a power engineer, so he wired an outlet to the load center and the generator plugs into that. We just have to be careful to restrict the load ourselves. Ask me how I know that.

It is fine to vent! I know about waiting in discomfort at the hospital, including not eating in front of the fasting patient. In fact, my word of the year for 2016 is "hospital". My mother had three hospitalizations, dd one for which I had to drop everything and fly several states away, and dh had an injury that included ER and later surgery. So yes, I completely empathize with the suckiness. And the suckiness yet to come in the form of a recovering person in pain.

Keeping you and your family in my thoughts.

I was going to suggest soup, but that might not be portable enough.

Quill has the right idea about absolute consistency of expectations. Little humans (and big ones too) are extremely masterful at figuring out that jobs done poorly might result in Mom just doing them herself. Win for them! Put the time in now, and in a few years, it may pay off!

Janeway, I am sorry you are so stressed. It has been pointed out up thread and I will say it again. Failure to have insurance per ACA requirement *does NOT* carry criminal penalties. The one and only enforcement of any assessed fine is through garnishment of federal income tax refund. You do not even know if you would have a fine since your dh is unemployed.

The thing is, she was always so compliant when I was directing things, and seemed to understand what needed to be done. Didn't need to be nagged or even reminded much. Then bam.

Thank you for that. Helpful to hear.

Let me tell you, it is much harder than I thought. Back when I was in charge and monitoring, her highest A1c was a 7.4, and 95% of the time in the 6's. The habits did not exactly carry over. I don't know where I went wrong.

Looks like she is being released. They are saying severe dehydration. 3L IV fluids and she is feeling a bit better. I hope she continues to improve. Thanks all for your support.

Dup post

It had been high this morning, and was 101 before leaving her house. 80 at the ER. Uncharacteristicly good. She tends to run high. She had a dka episode earlier this year, so yeah, that is where my mind goes. But this seems different. I would love to hear some test results.

I just asked him and no, she did not. Thanks for thinking about possible causes.