Summer with Anna....

Sometime last summer Anna picked up pseudos. Was it at the beach that I was uncomfortable going to? Was it our backyard pool without enough chemicals? Was it being barefoot in the yard? It could have been anywhere, anytime, and we will never know.

So, what can I do differently this summer? How can I protect her from those tiny germs I can't see? Don't go to the beach? Dump excess chemicals in the pool? Forgo putting her in sandals? Pray harder?

This last weekend we went on an overnight at a camp ground- cheap entertainment for a large family and got the kids faces away from a screen for a least a day. As I am packing up I am thinking, "What am I doing? This is crazy? Why am I taking Anna camping? You can have a perfectly great childhood without ever going camping, lots of people do."  But we went, for the memories (oh, and did we have some stories to tell). Did I put her at risk for no reason? Was that a bad choice? If she ends up with pseudos in her throat culture in September will I feel horrible for taking her camping? Or, will the pseudos be the result of her walking through the puddle outside of church this morning and then taking off her shoes and playing with her toes on the way home?  What about the theme park that my children have never been to,ever, that I think I should be taking them to so they have that childhood experience.  Will we get the germs there, if I have the guts to take them?  And the vacation bible school that I signed her up for this coming week? I am crazy nervous about that.

But Anna, she takes it all in stride. One friend recently pointed out that Anna seems to see the silver lining in life. Anna told me that she knows her right from her left because she broke her left arm last fall- now she remembers which is which.  She regularly prays for "all the people in the world that have CF, that they are doing good like me."  When another young girl asked her about why she was taking enzymes before eating, Anna explained, " I have CF and it is SO awesome because I can eat ANYTHING I want!"  One morning I found her standing in front of my full length mirror with her purple therapy vest on admiring herself. When I asked what she was doing she said, "I think my vest looks cool," and then did a little half-spin to admire herself from the back.

Anna is amazing.

Please continue to pray for her because I really think your prayers matter.  Pray for no pseudos this summer. Pray that she gains more weight, as that was a concern at her last appointment. Pray that she keeps up this great attitude and always sees that silver lining (the one I can't see), and that the Lord gives her a long and beautiful life.....