Muddling Through

I've added a button on the upper right for something dear to my heart. It's a charity quilt being made in Australia to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation there. Here, I believe is the original link. And here's the flickr group. (By the way, the painting above was done by a sweet friend of ours, Diane Apple, an artist here in Houston.)

Our daughter was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis shortly before her second birthday. We were told at that time to prepare ourselves, that she most likely would not live beyond her tenth birthday. This is not what parents want to hear forecast for their first child together. We also have another daughter who was a newborn at the time. Thankfully, testing determined that she does not have the disease.

Miss Ru is twenty-seven years old now and a beautiful lady. I have been inspired often by her courage and grace in confronting a disease for which there is no cure. We've learned over and over again to listen to the people on her medical team, but to trust yourself more than you trust them.

Chronic illness is not a thing I would wish for anyone. It takes a toll. As Ru tells me sometimes, "I know God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but I sure wish He didn't trust me so much."

Basically, I just wanted to share with you all a little personal bit of my life. I know that each and every one of you has your own burden to carry, and what might seem insurmountable to one is just daily work for another. But it's good to remember that no one is immune to the storms of life. We all go through them. I'm thankful for so many things - a wonderful husband who is always there when we need him, family and friends who love and pray for us, and you, my dear blogging friends. I've enjoyed getting to know a bit of your lives and seeing the beautiful, creative things you're doing. We provide a bit of an outlet for each other, don't we?

Most of all, I'm thankful for a Friend who sticks closer than a brother, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for being bloggy friends!

Hugs and kisses,