Grateful for ...

We just finished up with the Harvest. Our family garden measures at 307ft X 90ft. It definitely kept us busy these last few months. Weeds, weeds, and more weeds. Great opportunity to soak in the Vitamin D & enjoy the WONDERFUL summer God gave us this year. We had wonderful temperatures! That said – we’ve gotten into the below 0°C weather several times and sleet once. It was -7°C a week ago. Winter is coming fast, we're expected to get snow this week… =( The wise Canadian geese are flying south. Can't wait to join them :)

Besides a nasty cold a few months ago, and a few close calls, I’m doing very well! It takes a load of effort to stay that way, but it’s worth it.

Fact is, we fight every single day. How we choose to fight results in our quality of life. Having nutrition intake vs. antibiotics on a daily basis DEFINITELY is a life changer. 8 years later, and improving daily. =)

Let the record show that there ARE some upsides to our fight. Here are my top 5.

1.You don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out that 20 years of coughing leads to one NICE set of abs. =)

2. I get to beat the living daylights out of my sweet sister twice a day, and ALL in the name of percussion.

3. Nasty congestion leads up to performances of Mozart's music in the form of nose blowing. Unbelievably entertaining.

4. I can eat, and eat, and eat and ...

5. It makes you stop and smell the roses. You don't take even the smallest things for granted. Breathing & birthdays are two big ones =) After struggling with CFAA (CF associated arthritis) from age 9-18 I walk and hold things with joy. Most people take for granted the ability to get out of bed and walk. Or pick up their kid. Thankfully I don't struggle with it anymore - PTL =)

A few weeks back, I randomly opened up the bible & read Romans 6. Blew, my mind. The thought of Christians who by grace have been saved, yet continuing to do what they've always done simply. doesn't. make. sense. Continuing in willful sin that we'll just have grace thrown at us? GOD FORBID. There is a big difference between willful sin (James 4:17), and accidentally screwing up now & then, which we ALL do. I was talking with a friend of mine, and we couldn't figure out when it became OK to do certain things. Remember back in the day when some things were abhorred by all and you just didn't do them because you know they were WRONG? Different actions, vocabulary, attitudes, mannerisms etc... It's a slow fade. Nobody just changes overnight into doing all the things that they knew were wrong. Slowly but surely - people & things around us associate sin with pleasure, and humor and we take the bait. The bible says to be transformed by the RENEWING of your mind. Ya. Anyway...just blew me away.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” =)

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*Cystic Fibrosis*
State Of Mind

I am so grateful for the amount of time God has given me – I celebrated my 20th Birthday this May. So many kids never get to see that birthday :(

I’m so thankful that I was raised to live a healthy life by doing things naturally. Today is my 1-year anniversary of NO antibiotics!!! I get asked so often how it is that I’m so healthy. People who meet me have NO idea that I have CF. My clinic appointments go smoothly & quite frankly, can be done over the phone. I am on NO medications whatsoever. My goal is to outlive any statistic. So, I take certain measures to make sure that happens.

**My CF Preventative Health Remedies**

In the last year, I have come across so many different things that help in maintaining good health & they are really simple. For example;

• * Gargling with salt water 2-3 times a week. It kills the bacterium that stays in the throat area for 3 days once exposed to. So if you do it twice a week, you’re good to go =)
• * Steam Rooms!! I typically go for a ‘steam tune up’ once or twice a month depending on how I feel. Some months I go more often…it really depends on how you’re doing. If you don't have a steam room in your area, simply boiling a pot of water & breathing over it (with a towel over your head & pot) for 15 minutes does the trick!
• * Raw Garlic =) Because of it’s Antibiotic properties, I like to have a spoon full of raw freshly pressed garlic 3-4 times per week. Keeps me off of harmful drugs that mess me up. Make sure you don’t take it on an empty tummy – not a good idea!
• * Chest Physiotherapy. Kate & I also do therapy 1-2 times per day. Keeps the lungs clear =) to make it fun, we like to watch our favorite shows/movies to keep us entertained. Works VERY well :)
• * Physical exercise. SO important! I have a treadmill that I use twice a week. I run & run … love it! Also, having small nieces & nephews keeps me on my toes :) Physical exercise helps things keep moving, therefore making it harder for infection to set in.
• * Cough Tea. While in Virginia, my sister Helene came across a wonderful cough tea. You can purchase it from Bulk Herb Store. It has red clover tops, licorice root, and ginger root… it helps loosen phlegm, calm bronchial spasm & relieves respiratory congestion. I find it’s GREAT to take before bedtime.
• * Nutritional Supplements! I think it's pretty lame that Health Canada says I’m not allowed to say which ones on a public form. So much for freedom of speech. Just because I’m still alive, and not in the hospitals 24/7 I have to keep my mouth shut as to why I’m this healthy. Just read the CF story that I blogged several posts ago to see how nutritional supplements played a role in how I'm doing. Please message me if you want to know more =)

When I think of Cystic Fibrosis, and how people embrace it, it’s really all about your state of mind. Every person on earth is dealt different cards in life. Some are good, some not so good. There’s a saying that goes “it’s not the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the game”. There is so much truth to that.Sure, I can choose to play the game of the victim. Technically I have an excuse to pin it on – Cystic Fibrosis. I can choose to be depressed in life, or angry with God because I was born with CF. People make decisions every day of their lives. They choose whether or not to wear a red or blue shirt – whether or not to skip breakfast – whether or not to take the stairs vs the elevator. They're tiny little decisions, but yet somehow they form our lives. Our whole world revolves around the choices we make.Every single day I make a choice when I wake up. What will others see in me for the day? Will they see a victim of circumstance or a cheerful fighter? Will they see a happy go lucky girl, or a moody girl? I’m not saying that everyday is a basket of roses, and that CF doesn’t affect me, because it does. Some days…I’ll be honest, they suck. Completely. I’m down & ill and I feel like I’ve been pushed down a dark staircase. All I want to do is fight my way back up where I can see the light, and feel the freedom that comes with a healthy day. Thankfully there are more good days, then bad days. Praise the Lord!!!

So regardless of who you are, or what issues you face, whether it’s CF or something totally different, just know that YOU have the power to overcome any obstacle. Based on the little choices you make everyday. The choice to smile. The choice to never back down. The choice to fight. Fight for what’s right, never believe something just because a so-called wise person said it . Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. Raise up others around you – be that shinning light that God wants to use. He created you for a reason.

Here's a little tip I thought I'd share with you - if a long life is something you want, then please, whenever possible, AVOID the hospital. Hospital acquired infections is the 4th largest killer in Canada & United States ... uncool.

Quote of the day "God gives every bird his worm, but He does not throw it into the nest."

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Canada Day

Wow…the year is half over already! Where did the time go?


A thought crossed my mind that seemed pretty brilliant to me, and that is; everyone at some point in their life, anytime after graduating, should go completely out of their comfort zone, to a place far away and just observe. Observe a different way of being, working & living. I think life is WAY to short to stay in our ‘box’ our whole lives. God gave us a BIG world – so go out and SEE it! Experience what God has given us :)




I've been reading in Job. Wow. That book of the bible has some deep stuff. My current goal is to learn to have the patience of Job. I've also been occasionally veering back to Genesis. The other day as I was reading Genesis 42-46, I realized that wow…Joseph was SO the bigger man. Lol the term “bigger man” my sisters & I use all the time for whoever rises above everyone though kindness, or hard work, or just being the bigger person in a situation. I was like WOW Joseph, way to go. I mean, not only did he have a colorful coat, which made him AWEsome, he also had amazing character.
With what his brothers put him through, he could have easily chosen to be bitter & eventually put them to death. Instead he had a little fun of his own, and eventually when the time came, he wept, and welcomed them with open arms. He told them not to feel grieved, or angry at what had happened. He saw that God had sent him ahead, and used him to preserve a generation for them and save their lives. I mean wow…way to step up and be the bigger man.



A few weeks ago, I looked out on the road, and I saw this wee little fox trotting around. Our dog saw it soon after I had, and decided to chase it around. This little guy, which we later named “Kristofferson”, was a runt, and was wet & cold. He couldn’t outrun our dog – so our dog chased & chased him all the way to our house. We felt bad for the little guy, so we coaxed him in a live trap, and took the dog away, and let him free to his family. His mother & 2 siblings had been trotting around the yard, sniffing & looking for their lost fox.
I just love the wildlife we have around our place. We’ve had foxes, coyotes, cougars, bobcats, groundhogs, raccoons, deer, skunks & snakes. Everything about the living the country life is just, so, random =) I love it!!!



“I can choose to indulge in my frustrations or I can choose to create a habit of happiness”


Have a great Canada Day =)

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2010!!

Wow, I can’t believe 2010 is already here, and January is pretty much over with.



Health wise, things are GREAT!!!! I just celebrated my 6-month anniversary of no ER visits & no Antibiotics. God has been so good, I feel great. I’ve come across some different things that I find SO helpful in my fight against sickness.

One being Steam Rooms!!! You can find them in Spa’s or at your local Gym. It is so very helpful.
I’ve already mentioned Garlic, and how awesome it is. One significant advantage of garlic is that the body does not build up a resistance to it as it does to many modern antibiotics. This also makes it effective against hospital super bugs. There is so much more information about how HELPFUL Garlic is, especially for those struggling with infection, but the info itself would make this posting longer then life itself lol. So my suggestion is if your wanting more info, just Google it.


You’ll be amazed at all the awesome things you’ll discover :)

Here’s a Spanish saying for the day: A la ocasión la pintan calva. You have to make the most of the chances that come your way. ♥

Happy 2010,
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