Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

With all the craziness that's been going on in our lives lately, I never got around to sending out any Christmas cards. Here's a photo that I took of us at our Christmas party earlier this evening. The angle is weird, but so what. The point was to capture our smiles in photographic form, and I succeeded in doing that.

This Christmas has been particularly meaningful in light of all that has happened. It's a sobering thought to realize that I almost wasn't around to see this day. I'm awestruck to think back over the past month and see how dramatic my progress really has been. A month ago I could hardly walk across a room without stopping to rest. Two weeks ago I woke up in a strange room with all sorts of wires and tubes hooked up to keep me monitored. A week ago I was struggling to eat an entire meal that wasn't primarily made up of liquids.

All I can say is that God has brought me this far, and it is God who will lead me in the days to come.

This Christmas has been a celebration of joy in many forms. Ultimately it has been the celebration of the joy I have in knowing that centuries ago the Messiah came to earth in human form as a helpless infant. That tiny child was part of God's plan to ensure my place in eternity. No matter what I go through on earth, I know that my future is spoken for--I belong heart and soul to God. Not even death can sever that bond.

May the true spirit of the season be in you heart and may you find the peace, hope, and joy that I have.

Merry Christmas,

Lauren