Last year, during our campus tour at Santa Clara University, the docent took a moment to recognize and thank the Indigenous Peoples’ for the use of the land that we were gathered on.

“We pause to acknowledge that Santa Clara University sits on the land of the Ohlone and Muwekma Ohlone people. We remember their continued connection to this region and give thanks to them for allowing us to live, work, learn, and pray on their traditional homeland. We offer our respect to their Elders and to all Ohlone people of the past and present. “

Santa Clara University

I found this statement and acknowledgment to be very moving. It was the first time I had experienced a “Land Acknowledgment”. Since that time, I have heard it more frequently at events and gatherings.

What is Land Acknowledgment?

Land Acknowledgement is defined as a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.

To perform a Land Acknowledgment, first, find out the history of the land you’re on.

• What are the name and correct pronunciation of their tribe and their language for whose land you are occupying?
• Who are historical figures within the tribe that you can learn more about?

In our town, Chico, CA, we acknowledge the land of the Mechoopda tribe.

A land acknowledgment is just one way we can celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

As of today, 14 States and 130 cities celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Keep reading to find out other ways to recognize this important day.

The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian has compiled wonderful ideas on taking a moment to celebrate the lives and traditions of our lands’ first inhabitants.

Ideas for Indigenous Peoples’ Day Recognition

1. Plant something that is native to your area. Native plants provide habitat and food for animals and are the cornerstone of a healthy environment. For example, the pawpaw tree (a native tree widely distributed in most of the United States and common east of the Mississippi) is the only host species for the caterpillars of the zebra swallowtail butterfly.
   
   What plants are native to your area? Find out about native plants and species in your area by visiting the U.S. Forest Service website Celebrating Wildflowers.
   


2. Attend a virtual Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration by streaming the Indigenous Peoples’ Day program today, Oct 12. You can also participate in the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Convergence, on October 12, which spotlights Indigenous leaders, change-makers, and artists working on important contemporary issues.
   
   
3. Learn more by visiting Native Knowledge 360°, and advocate for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Native Knowledge 360° is Smithsonian’s National Education Initiative, working to transform teaching and learning about American Indians. One practice we recommend is to acknowledge the lands you live on and name the Indigenous people originally from there. The museum can help with things to consider when thinking about Land Acknowledgements.
   
   
4. Find out what political and social efforts are being led by Indigenous people in your area. Ask how can you support and elevate visibility for those efforts?
   
   
5. Support local Indigenous artists in your area.

Read more about this exciting and important topic on the Smithsonian Website.

Thank you for being a part of the diabetes community.

Coach Beverly and Bryanna

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We are off to College!

Good morning everyone, Beverly won’t be at work today. She will be taking the next step in moving her son toward independence.

In 2002, Beverly brought her firstborn into the world.

Now she is bringing him to college.

After surviving the first 18 years of motherhood (barely), Coach Beverly is ready to kick (gently) her oldest little fledgling, Robert, out of her nest and into the much bigger nest of the collegiate world.

Robert shows all the signs of readiness to leave his home of origin behind and move to the dorms to start college at SMU (Go Mustangs) in Texas.

Robert’s signs of readiness to move out and move on include:

• Eye rolling when parents speak
• Short grunts when answering questions
• Putting in his earbuds when we are reminding him of his chore list
• Frequently says, “I can’t wait to move out”.

These are all signs that we have succeeded at our job as parents. Now with a mixture of joy and a twinge of longing, I will deliver him to the next stage of his journey.

Our prayers are with him. We will keep you posted!

Bryanna is taking this week off to celebrate her birthday. Yay… Happy Birthday!

This well earned vacation comes after an intensive seven months as our Director of Operations and Customer Happiness through many unexpected events (pandemic) and upheavals (working remotely). In spite of all of this, Bryanna has kept our company not only moving forward, but has managed to make significant improvements along the way.

In celebration of Bryanna, here are just a few highlights of what she brings to our company:

Bryanna’s position is complicated with lots of moving parts. First of all, she oversees and updates all five of our websites and is constantly making improvements and adjustments. She views our websites through her customer service lens, “Can our customers find what they need and are they having a great experience along the way?”

In addition, she manages our marketing and information sharing campaigns including our blogs, social media posts, newsletter, Facebook and announcements. She has dramatically improved the operations of our Online University and CDCES Coach app, with plans for making them even better.

She keeps lots of moving parts working smoothly with grace and great organizational skills!

She makes sure our Quickbooks banking operations are accurate and up-to-date. Bryanna provides invaluable training and coaching for my two sons, who report to her. And, in between all of that she answers customer chats, emails and phone calls.

Bryanna is completely invested in the success of our customers and our company. She embodies the mission of our company and believes that we can improve diabetes care through education, advocacy, and curiosity.

In addition to being incredibly bright, hard working and organized, she is an honest and kind communicator, plus a great listener.

I interviewed Bryanna on January 15th and wanted to hire her on the spot. After I contacted her references, I knew in my heart and head, she was the absolute best person for the job.

Here is an excerpt from her cover letter when she applied for this position in January 2020 that says it all!

It’s important to me to work with an organization that I believe in. I am inspired by Diabetes Education Services goals of accessible education for a disease that affects many people in our society. I hope that by bridging the gaps in education about prediabetes and diabetes, health care professionals can better empower people who are at risk or currently living with diabetes. ~ Bryanna Sabourin

Thank you Bryanna. We are overjoyed to celebrate you!

Pope Francis refers to nurses as “Experts in humanity.”

As a very sick patient in his 20s, Pope Francis, has personally experienced the importance of nurses. “You are there all day and you see what happens to the patient. Thank you for that!” he continued, “many lives, so many lives are saved thanks to you!”

He emphasized the importance of the nursing profession and their unique relationships with all members of the healthcare team – patients, families, and colleagues. Pope Francis stated that nurses are at “the crossroads” of all these relationships. 

The Pope described the sensitivity nurses acquire from “being in contact with patients all day,” and acknowledged the healing power of listening and touch. Calling touch an important factor for demonstrating respect for the dignity of the person. 

Nurses provide care despite the patient’s societal status. The Pope described the nurse’s care as particularly important in situations that may often leave weaker people on the margin.

Furthermore, Pope Francis acknowledged the “truly irreplaceable” role nurses play in the lives of their patients. “Like no other, the nurse has a direct and continuous relationship with patients, takes care of them every day, listens to their needs and comes into contact with their very body, that he tends to,” stated Pope Francis. 

The Pope says nurses are, “promoters of life and dignity”

7 Ways you Can Thank a Nurse:

1. Send a note letting them know the ways you appreciate them.
2. Send them lunch – GrubHub and DoorDash are now offering contact-free deliveries (double-check with the hospital/clinic that they are accepting outside food).
3. Share a story on social media about how a nurse’s care touched your life.
4. Let a supervisor know how much they contribute to improving the health of your community.
5. Donate to the ANA’s Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses.
6. Organize childcare for nurses you know as these nursing students did in Wisconsin.
7. When you do your shopping, offer to pick up and drop off groceries and other items.

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National Nurses Week is celebrated annually, starting with National Nurses Day on May 6th (this Wednesday), through Florence Nightingale’s, the founder of modern nursing, birthday, on May 12th!

I am so proud to call myself a nurse and be a part of this dedicated, hard-working, self-sacrificing and healing profession for over 25 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed and cried along with our nursing colleagues as they have risked their lives to provide care to those impacted by the virus.

Thank you nurses for your careful listening, compassionate care and for providing reassurance and love to those who need it most.

Coach Beverly, RN for 25+ years

Though this year Pope Francis, the ANA, and others are recognizing 2020 as the year of nurses.

We want to highlight all of their hard work and bravery during this time. We simply couldn’t do this without them.

“Let us pray for them all that they may do their precious work in the best possible way,” said Pope Francis earlier this year of nurses and midwives.

The American Nurses Association has put together a page dedicated to the Year of the Nurse.

This page has a place to support nurses on the front-lines of COVID-19, space for nurses to share their stories, inspiring videos and podcasts, and more.

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January 25th marks the first day of Chinese New Year, and 2020 is the year of the rat: the first of the zodiac animals. The Rat is meant to represent diligence and thriftiness. Diabetes Education Services wishes everyone happiness and prosperity in this new year!

Join us for our free BC-ADM webinar on January 30 @ 11:30 a.m. PST to benefit from free practice questions and test taking strategies:

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Coach Beverly, Taryn and Robert wish everyone a Happy New Year. To get ready for 2020, we have highlighted 10 questions that help to wrap up 2019. Ending the year intentionally helps to savor successes, make peace with mistakes, and allow change in the new year to power those resolutions.

10 Questions to Intentionally Get Ready for 2020

1. What made this year unforgettable?
2. What did you enjoy doing this year?
3. What/who is the one thing/person you’re grateful for?
4. What’s your biggest win this year?
5. What did you read/watch/listen to that made the most impact on you this year?
6. What did you worry about most and how did it turn out?
7. What was your biggest regret and why?
8. What’s one thing that you changed about yourself?
9. What surprised you the most this year?
10. If you could go back to last January 1, what suggestions would you give your past self?

Read more from Simply Magazine and Daisy U by clicking here.

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Continuing our week of kindness, we celebrate Kwanzaa, a holiday dedicated to acknowledging seven guiding principles of life.

Give light and people will find the way.

Ella Baker

Kwanzaa is a week-long annual celebration held in the United States and other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas to honor African heritage in African-American culture. It is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in gift-giving and a feast. Kwanzaa has seven core principles. Wikipedia

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:^[13]

• Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
• Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
• Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and to solve them together.
• Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
• Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
• Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
• Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Read more about Kwanzaa here.

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