What I Learned.

I'm a couple of days late with this post - mostly because when I sat down to write in on Sunday evening, I couldn't find the right combination of words to express what I'm feeling.

I'm still not certain that I can find those words - but I'll try.

Here was the prompt: What have you learned from other blogs - either this week or since finding the D-OC? What has your experience of blogging the DBlog Week topics with other participants been like? What has finding the D-OC done for you? If you'd like, you can even look ahead and tell us what you think the future holds!

I tend to talk about the DOC a lot. (Um... you may have noticed.) I've talked about that moment when I first realized that I wasn't alone after all; how reading my experiences through someone else's words feels validating and depressing all at once; how being connected can make me feel supported, yet guilty somehow.

I guess what's why I couldn't find the words the other night - because I've already spoken many of them.

But Diabetes Blog Week did provide some amplification - more voices, focused and more frequent writing, and a heightened sense of community. The amount of participants (times 7 posts each, equals...  brain aneurysm) was astounding to me. (On a related note... Hallie put together what must have been a very time-consuming video with just about everybody listed on there. Wow!) And the imaginations, creativity, and just plain guts this community possesses was so fun to see.

I think Diabetes Blog Week strengthens the bonds we have in this community, with each other. We may not all agree on many things (or anything at all, necessarily) - but we can still respect and support one another. We can agree to disagree. We can empathize and reassure, even when we can't endorse or affirm.

We're family, and that's what families do.