Inspiring Thoughts:

Hello,

Most of us have seen the movie "The Wizard of Oz". If you remember, or in case you haven't seen it, one of the characters in the movie is a "Cowardly Lion". He frightens a lot of people with his very loud ROARRR, but come to find out, he is actually afraid of everything! Because the Cowardly Lion desperately wanted to be brave, and he heard that the "Wizard" of Oz could give him courage, he and his friends traveled to the Land of Oz. Cowardly Lions friends were also in search of something. The Scarecrow wanted a brain, the Tinman wanted a heart, and Dorothy along with her dog Toto, wanted to find their way back home to Kansas.

As they traveled along the yellow brick road to Oz, they encountered a lot of obstacles and dangerous situations. The Lion believed that the wizard would give him courage, but do you know what the Cowardly Lion found out? Way down deep inside, he already had courage! He just didn't know that he did. Lion, amazingly battled a wicked witch, the witches strong and mighty guards along with hundreds of flying monkeys to come to the rescue of his friend Dorothy. Was he scared? Yes! But he was brave enough to do the right thing, and do what needed to be done, even when he was afraid. Now, that's courage!

It's not likely that you or I will ever have to fight against wicked witches or flying monkeys, but it is possible that there will be many other things that we're afraid of that will test our courage. Like having diabetes. Living with diabetes is hard and will definitely test our courage. I've had diabetes since I was 7 years old. You have to be brave to poke your finger several times daily to read blood sugar levels, take numerous shots each day, count carbohydrates and go to the doctors all the time, while seeing family and friends not having to worry about things like that. My mom always tells me how strong I am by not letting diabetes get the best of me and that makes me feel good. She says that daily courage and learning all we can about diabetes are important tools to managing diabetes. She says my courage is the important quality that will allow me to make sound decisions for a healthy life. She also reminds me that it's okay to be scared, especially when you're first diagnosed. Everyone's afraid of something. Being brave is trying to do something even when you're afraid. Being brave is doing the right thing.

You do those things, right? I thought so. So you see, just like the Cowardly Lion in movie, the "Wizard of Oz", you were courageous all along. You just didn't know it!

Your friend,
McGwire, 9 years old

The KIDS WITH COURAGE Foundation