Monday, 13 October 2014

Striking Mums, Tough Honesty, Inspired by Linda Bellingham

This week the lovely Kate wrote about the very brave Lynda Bellingham and her courageous flight with cancer. The bravery she has demonstrated is just phenomenal. It puts life and silly worries and moans into perspective. Life is for living, live for today, embrace every sunset and sunrise and appreciate the little things.

1. Tell us about a mum who inspires you. What are her special qualities?
Well that has to be my Mum; we are so different and have totally different outlooks on life. I know she doesn't always agree with my opinions, or me yet she still loves me for who I am. She taught me to be a Mum, I think I would compare my Mum to a lioness, very proud of us all, she would kill anyone who hurts her kids and would defend us to the hilt.

2. Are you happy? If not, what is stopping you?
Yes I am totally happy, there are things I would like to change in my life but they are minor things and I am working on them. My family and home life is mad but very happy, and I have wonderful friends who I trust. 
I also feel I have opened up a whole new can of happy with my blog, I have met some wonderful friends on line who I would never have linked up with if it wasn't for Extraordinary Chaos, I can't wait to meet them all.  
I am living a dream by writing, I feel so passionate about it, when I write I feel like I have come home. I also love the fact that I am in a position to help other parents deal with diagnosis of diabetes.
 Jacks diagnosis was the single worse piece of news I have ever received in my life, I will never forget June 4th 2011. Yes we are now on the better side of it, and if I can help other families get through that difficult time and help them to see that with good management diabetes is not as bad as it initially seems, then I will be so happy.


3. What little things that don’t really matter do you allow to get to you?
Sometimes people’s opinions of me bother me, there is one Mum up the School that just doesn't like me, and she goes out of her way to glare at me. At first it bothered me, I dreaded seeing her at School, but the lovely Annette at work gave me a sharp talking to and made me realise that its her business what she thinks of me, nothing to do with me. As actually, she has got me wrong, that is her problem. That is exactly why I shouldn't waste my brain space on it; you can’t get on with everyone. And do you know what? Once I realised that I felt so much better, I now walk past her with my head high and even look her in the face, funny enough she is a lot less intimidating now.

4. Who do you need to talk to and why are you putting it off?
I have sat and stared at this question for ages, I have no idea of anyone in present time. I would like to talk to my Nan and Granddad who are no longer here. There are questions I wished I asked them. My poor remaining Nan bless her, I interrogate her every time I see her, which isn't often as she lives 240 miles away and isn't very chatty on the phone. 
I ask her loads about her childhood and when my Dad was young, and when she was a evacuee in the 2nd world war.  I am like the gestapo, trying to get every last piece of information out of her, I want to remember it all, pass her memories on to my children and grandchildren. I wish I had asked my Nan and Granddad the same questions but was too young to appreciate that they had lives before me. That is a big regret of mine.
If anyone is working on a blueprint for a time machine I would love to trial it so I can ask the questions I should have, and go back far enough to meet my Granddad Joe who I never met. 
Kate on thin Ice Striking Mums

5. How are you inspirational? If you are not quite sure, ask someone close to you and see what they think. We do not always see ourselves as others do.

I don't think I could ask someone that question about me, but I know how I want to be inspirational; and that is by helping families deal with diabetes by showing them how you can live with it positively, how its not as bad at it initially seems. It may not be ideal but its livable. You wouldn't know Jack suffers from diabetes if we didn't tell you, I am proud of how he has dealt with it, I want those parents to feel our pride.


Wow some of that was tough, hard to write, emotional, but feels good to have wrote it.  Now I just need to find out who is inventing that time machine. 





12 comments:

  1. Lovely post, I'm sure you are inspiring people to help with diabetes, it sounds like you're doing everything right. Can't wait to meet you either! X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Julia, I hope so and yes can't wait to meet you too x

      Delete
  2. Fab post Sarah. Lovely. I'd like to talk to my gran too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Karen, isn't it a shame we didn't have that insight when we were younger x

      Delete
  3. Lovely post Sarah. I miss my gran too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that description of your mum as a lioness - I think a lot of us mums have that lioness nature in us when it comes to protecting our kids. So glad to hear you are interrogating your nan - like you say it is so important to capture those memories and remember them so we can tell our kids too. xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I think she quite likes reliving those memories too bless her x

      Delete
  5. You are achieving that last one, let me tell you. The 26 August is emblazoned in my head for all the wrong reasons, and I will never be able to watercolour wash the vividness of that moment in the GP's office. It makes me feel sick every time I remember it, every single tiny detail. But you, and others like you, have helped me get beyond that moment to a place where I now realise I will be able to move on from, eventually. That's pretty inspirational :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah Thanks Helen, that means a lot, I feel the same about the 4th of June, its something you never forget isn't it, it makes me so happy to know I helped

      Delete
  6. It is amazing how the lioness comes out in us mums and I am sure in that you are like your mum. I feel very much like you about writing - don't know where I would be without it as so vital to my sanity or particular form of insanity. Well done on dealing with school gate stress - it takes some doing and it is so sad when we all share so much that we should be on the same side anyway, Ah yes, those figures from the past we would like to know more about - there is family history research which can provide some clues and is a huge adventure of its own. Hope if this was hard to write, it did some good too for you. Hope your week is going well - I am snowed under with various things all good ones which is why it has taken ages for me to get round to reading your great post. I am very excited of the moving and shaking you are going to do in the diabetes field

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kate, glad your week is filled with exciting stuff and yes I hope I do get a move and shake in the diabetes field it would mean so much to me x

      Delete

Thank you so much for leaving a comment, I love to read them and will always reply to any questions, Many Thanks Sarah x