Never Make Me Cry

In my English class, my teacher gave us an assignment to write a poem about something that has affected our lives. Naturally, I chose my food allergies and wanted to share the poem with all of you.
* Please note the reference to my blog in this :) *

Never Make Me Cry

Some may say I'm different 

Some may say I'm strange

But when I'm standing next to you

We look just the same

Nothing on the outside

 Is different, you see

It is something on the inside

That separates you from me

For me it's like a madness

That cut straight to the core

But when I realized God's there for me

It was a madness no more

I was constantly careful

I was nervous that the pain,

(If one thing went wrong)

Would start coursing through my veins

Now as I get older

I struggle less and less

I've come to understand

God gives the hard stuff to his best

I've learned to survive

To flourish, to withstand

Everything this has thrown at me

Especially when unplanned

To you it seems there's something wrong

Just from what you've read

 But really I'm living quite strong

In the shadow of what's ahead

I'm passing on my knowledge

To others just like me

I share my stories with them

And inspire them to believe

Someday its presumed

That they'll simply disappear

But the doctors have been saying this 

For a hundred thousand years

With this I was born,

And with this I will die.

But never will I let again

My food allergies make me cry.

-Alli

4th Grade Memories

Having food allergies can be hard, and having a reaction is even harder. But I've been lucky. My brother Peter and I have the same food allergies so we know that whatever one eats, so can the other. We also have very similar reactions to our allergens, which most of the time is vomiting. I remember one time in particular. I even wrote a story about it in 4th grade. Here's what I wrote (no edits):

I'm Proud of You 
4/28/08

     It was a normal time, of a normal day, of a normal year, but I'm not sure if my brother made it feel as...well as normal as it was supposed to be.
     Me and my brother were sitting in our (normal) family room watching t.v.. Everything was fine, until it happened.
     "Blegh!" My brother was starting to vomit. Not a good sign. I raced into my (normal) kitchen, grabbed an bucket and darted back into my (not so normal anymore) family room.
     "Mom!!!" I shout up the stais into my moms office. "Peter's getting sick!!!" I do this while holding a bucket under my brother's mouth.
    My mom reminds me of a fast racehorse racing to the finish line. The finish line? My brother.
    She sees me holding the bucket in front of Peter and tries to clean up everything he vomited on the carpet, the couch, and himself. as he finishes cleaning his stomach out of whatever irritated it, he starts to feel better.

     About an hour later afte everything (and everyone) was cleaned up my mom told me something.
     "Allison?" my mom says.
     "Yeah?" I answer.
     "There aren't many people, including me, that would hold a bucket infront of someone who's getting sick in the bucket. I"m proud of you."
     "Thanks mom."
     "Peter will always know that his sisters love him."

      I guessed it turned out to be a not-so-normal day after all.

I guess what I'm trying to point out here is that food allergies have impacted my life from Day 1. It impacted me enough that I wrote a story about it when I was 9! There has never been a day that I haven't thought and/or worried about food allergies. But you have to know you can still build a successful life around food allergies! I have so far!

-Alli

Thanksgiving Food Overview

FOOD:
The food in my house for Thanksgiving is simple-yet delicious! My mom is a wonderful cook, and even though I'll offer to help, she'll tell me I'm not fast enough at peeling potatoes. But its okay- watching her cook makes up for it!

Main Dish:

• obviously the turkey!!!

Sides:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Onion Soup Mix Potatoes 
• (not everyone in my family are mashed potato lovers-but I just don't understand it!)
• Salad
• Stuffing
• Cranberry Sauce
• Assorted Vegetables (carrots, green beans, corn, broccoli, etc.) 

Desserts:

• Apple Pie
• Cinnamuffins 
• Ice Cream (Sorbet for the Allergic)
• By the time we get to dessert, we are all stuffed! So not a lot of effort is put into the dessert category... :)

Drinks:

• Apple Cider

I meant to get this out before Thanksgiving, but there was a lot going on last week, and didn't have computer access until today! I hope everyone had a great allergen-free Thanksgiving!

-Alli

Thanksgiving 101

As we all know, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. This, (as dictionary.com says) is "a national holiday celebrated as a day of feasting and giving thanks". So pretty much its a day of giving thanks--and EATING! Now to most, this is the best holiday of the year. After all, who doesn't love food? However, to those with food allergies, its a day of celebration and anxiety. Whether you stay at home or visit someone else's house for dinner, there is going to be something to worry about. But do not fear! Allergy Alli is here! I'm going to share my favorite Thanksgiving foods and recipes and best ways to avoid allergens on this fabulous day of food! Follow my posts over the next few days and learn how I celebrate Thanksgiving with food allergies!

-Alli

Flourish with Food Allergies

When I was little, I used to always ask my mom, "Why me? Why do I have food allergies?" Her simple response was that God has something special planned for me, and that I should have faith that He knows what He's doing.

As a little kid, to hear that I am special, changed my whole outlook on food allergies. My feelings of food allergies being a curse were replaced by feelings that food allergies are a blessing--that I'm meant for a greater purpose than just living day by day.

Never doubt that you are special, and that you are able to survive! You are strong because of your food allergies! Give yourself confidence! Food allergies should not control your life! You are better than that! You are meant to have food allergies for a reason and maybe one day you'll be able to help others cope, no, flourish while living with food allergies. Best of luck!

-Alli

Suggestions

Does anyone have suggestions on what to write about next? I want my blog to help you so I want to hear what you think and what you want to hear! Please comment below or post on my Facebook Page! Thank you!

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