One minute I am teaching my 6th graders writing; the next minute the school secretary comes into my classroom to tell me my husband is on the phone.
One minute I am annoyed because a kid got sick and he can’t leave work to get them; the next minute I remember Wednesdays are his day off.
One minute the secretary says, “He tried texting you. Should I tell him you will call him back?”; the next minute I walk over to my desk to check my phone.
One minute the text doesn’t make sense at all; the next minute I am walking to the office to talk to him on the phone.
One minute he is telling me that her iron is fine, but her blood sugar is high; the next minute the room is spinning and I am asking him, “What does this mean for my girl?”
One minute he is saying, “She has diabetes. I am at the hospital. I need you to come here now.”; the next minute I am trying to keep it together to get to my room and grab my purse, coat, and car keys.
One Lifetime of finger pokes before she eats.
One lifetime of finger pokes two hours after her insulin.
One lifetime of finger pokes if she feels “jittery” (low) or thirsty, angry, tired (high) to see her blood sugar level.
One lifetime of 2:00 am blood sugar checks.
One lifetime of sleepless nights.
One lifetime of 10-12 finger pokes a day.
One lifetime of insulin shots – one after each meal and one at bedtime.
One lifetime of constant worry.
One lifetime of being brave and strong even when you are only 10 years and 9 days old.
One year later . . .
I refuse to let March 21st be the worst day of her life forever, so today I took a personal day and we did what my sweet girl wanted to do (with one request from me).
I let her sleep in (which means eating a late breakfast so all her shots were off time-wise) until 10:45 am. Breakfast was a cake pop and chocolate milk at Starbucks. Off to the nail salon to get manicures, and then we headed downtown to spend the day in the city. Our first stop was to see my friend and her daughter at Rush Hospital – my request – (she is recovering remarkably well), then off to Cheesecake Factory for lunch (at 5:00 pm), then shopping at Water Tower Place. We closed the place up at 9:00 pm.
My girl loved her day with me, almost as much as I love my brave, strong, little girl!
Bottom Row (from left): Standing in front of “Squishable” a stuffed animal store at Water Tower; Scooped Cookie Dough for dessert; Tessa and her shopping (she wasn’t quite done, but the stores closed)!
Craziness of Being a Kouts 
I don’t even know where to begin to respond…the craft of your writing or the story itself? You captured the moment of understanding so clearly and the contrast with the “day” is striking. There is a symmetry & balance that is beautiful in this, on several levels.
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Nice format to give me the one year ago worries to the fun celebrating the day! Sending thoughts your way.
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This is such a great story. I am so glad you take a day off with your daughter. I just read Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor´s memoir “My Beloved World”. She develops diabetes at age of seven. She mentions in her book, the things that helped her coping with it, and how living with diabetes have shaped her live. Never easy, so moments like the one you had with your daughter are so important. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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I will have to get that book so we can read it together! Thank you!
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There are three different versions. One is for children 4-8 called “Turning Pages”; then a version for ages 10 and up called “The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor”, and finally the adult version called “My beloved World” all from Penguin Random House
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This is a fascinating, creative way to structure writing! You begin with the familiar “One minute…” phrase, repeating it, then move to “One lifetime…” and the tone became so much more serious. Like Pia, so happy you were able to take the day with your girl. Sounds like a great one. 🙂
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I hate what Tessie has to go through, but I love that she has the best supporter in her mom. I am so glad that you guys got to spend the day together, and turned a crappy memory into a great one. I love the pictures! I hope you two had the time of your lives!!
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I love the structure you chose for this slice and I love that you are making March 21st a day she will not always dread. I know this turned all of your worlds upside down, but I recognize how brave and strong you and Tessie have both been.
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