By Tiffany, for Us.

This is what's going on with CF and health care and insurance brokers.

Thank God for this good friend.

Where are these professional people with an excellent work ethic? People that some think I'm wasting my life by not being? I am not impressed. Get to work, working ladies (yes, all those I'm dealing with are women).

I've got more writing and calling to do today. So sad and angry.
Think of us please.
Love, A

Extreme Mothering

Raising children with CF drives me to extremes:

* I want people to treat them just like anyone else.
* I want people to treat them with kid gloves.

* I'm comfortable in the hospital.
* I want to burn down the hospital.

* I thank God for the extra gifts in caring for kids with health problems.
* I can barely speak to God.

* I am capable and strong.
* I am weak and sad.

* I'm just like any mom.
* I don't want to be around anyone with healthy children.

* I could kiss the researchers as they work for the good of humanity.
* I could slap the researchers if it would hasten a cure.

* My kids are just like yours.
* My kids are better than yours.
* My kids are worse than yours.

* I believe that suffering can bring us closer to Jesus.
* I don't want to be closer to Jesus.


I'm a little bit of all of this, often every day. It is easy to be tossed about with all the passion and lose sight of what is true, good, and beautiful:

Our lives,
Our loves,
Our Lord.

And while I will happily give up any gifts for a cure, today they are still my gifts. Today I will live well. Extremely.

Facebook Lessons from 2013

Providence Hospital's beautiful setting.

It is New Year's Eve and Rees is at Providence Hospital, admitted last night with some smart strain of the flu that slipped past the shot. Instead of shooting off fireworks and eating moose stew with dear friends, we're separated, but safe and thankful (Actually, I'm pretty upset but trying to count my blessings.). Ken is with Rees and I'm home, sitting here at my computer desk with a glass of Guinness (nothing festiver or fancier, oh well).


After witnessing a few friends come and go with Facebook this past year and wondering if I should end it all to prepare better lunches for the kids from now on, I've decided that I will not give it up. Here's why I think it has been good for me:

* Because of my CF Mamas group, I have become less selfish. I pray for a cure for CF now, not just for my own children's health.

* I figured out that answering questions about our conversion to the Catholic faith = good conversation, but purposefully engaging anti-Catholics = ugly conversation. Stopped doing that.

* Receiving "comment smacks" has taught me to tighten up my own comments to stick to the topic, check sources, notice and call out others' strawmen, and to graciously, humorously admit "OK, you got me there!" without it ruining my day.

* I would never have read such gems from FB friends sharing articles as ~
   Paglia's defense of masculinity, or
   How canned and frozen vegetables are awesome, or
   Real life re-thinking.

* I would never have learned about or read these books from FB friends ~
   The Sinner's Guide to NFP, or
   Teaching in Your Tiara, or
   If Protestantism Was True.

* I would not have had hundreds of views on this little blog without FB sharing. Here are 2013's 3 most-viewed ~
   Not Cystic Fibrosis,
   Five Things Homeschooling Has Not Been, and
   We'll See.

Should I? Could I talk Ken into it?

May 2014 see a cure for CF, or even better,
the return of Our Lord.






Happy New Year to the real, delightful people that live inside my computer!
Love, Allison

Last year's picture, but our camera has been dead for a month.