A Gift

Even after all this time

The Sun never says to the Earth,

"You owe me."

Look what happens to a love like that.

It lights the whole sky.

Every day our lives are consumed by a whirlwind of demands that surround us. We get to the end of the day and very rarely take a moment to look back at the wonders of our day and give thanks for the gift it was: our lives become lost in the chaos of the world around us.


I am just as guilty for letting the chaos and demands of the world engulf me, rarely taking time to stop at the end of the day to relive all the goodness I encountered.  I get swept up in looking towards tomorrow, forgetting what a true gift today was and all the people who made it so.

I challenge you, as do I myself, to take a moment to look back to yesterday. What acts of kindness and good filled your day?  By who?  It can be the simplest of gestures: a smile from a stranger, an unexpected phone call from a friend, a genuine compliment, a thoughtful gift, or something nice someone did that wasn't necessary.  There are acts of generosity and kindness all around us every day: we just have to slow down and make ourselves aware of their abundance.

Pay it Forward
The more and more aware I become of the abundant kindness that surrounds me, the more overwhelmed I become with guilt.  What am I doing to deserve such kindness, and what am I doing to pay that kindness and generosity forward?  Can I share enough goodness to equal or exceed what I have been shown?  Do people know how thankful and humbled I am for their kindness?  More importantly, how can I share such kindness? How can I pay it forward?

A Gracious Gift
As I was in the midst of writing this blog, another immeasurable act of kindness was shown to me: an act so selfless it takes my breath away and leaves tears streaming down my cheeks.  It is so incredible I must share it with you all.

An amazing musician and composer I so greatly admire and respect wrote to me a few months ago asking if she could compose a piece inspired my writings.  I was completely shocked and so incredibly humbled: even more so, in disbelief.  My writings? Really?  During the past couple of months this incredible woman would write to me saying, "it's not quite perfect, yet," or "it hasn't found its voice."  What humbles me even more is I know the amount of herself she poured into writing this piece and finding "its voice." She had countless other masterpieces to write, but she took that time to do something life changing for me.  Again, it leaves me speechless and in tears.

What did I get to hear and see this week?  A finished orchestral composition entitled "Breath." As I listened for the first time, I was overcome with emotion and moved to tears.  Each note so delicately and perfectly placed creating an incredible masterpiece: I cannot wait until its beauty is shared  with the world.

Who is this amazing, brilliant, strong, talented, generous, and selfless woman? She is a composer, musician, colleague, and most of all, a dear friend: Deanna Wehrspann.  You have given me one of the greatest gifts of my life, and your kindness will forever live in my heart.   Thank you, Deanna.

Challenge
Today, I challenge each of you, and myself, to go out of your way to show someone kindness.  Now, I challenge you to do something everyday.  Can you imagine the amount of good in the world if we all focused on sharing kindness? You don't have to write a symphony, but the simplest act of kindness can make an enormous impact.  My life is overflowing with abundant kindness and I am so very grateful.  Love to you all.

What kindness have you been shown and shared today?

We'd love to hear about the good that fills your day: kindness is contagious! 

Share moments of kindness from your day either on my facebook page, leave a comment on the blog, or drop me a note at breathebravely@gmail.com  

Junkin'

Junkin' 

One of my very favorite things to do is to go "junking."  What is that you ask?  It's just another way to say "antiquing."  Some people think of it as junk, antiques, or old rubbish, but  I think they're all treasures in their own way.  I love to go into a shop filled from wall to wall with "treasures."  Each item has a story to tell, a history just waiting to be revealed.  Look around yourself, what stories are being told?



My Story
My lungs have a story to tell all their own.  They are filled with the history of each breath I have taken: the laughter, the conversations had, the air of cities traveled, the tears cried, and the scars of infection caused by CF.






The Scars
With every lung infection, scarring and damage to the lungs occur.  Scarred tissue in the lungs makes it more difficult for the lungs to function properly. The thickened mucus caused by CF coupled with the continued scarring and damage to the lungs is a breeding ground for bacteria and infection.   X-Rays and CT Scans are done in order to chart the progress of scarring and damage to the lungs: they help tell the story.  They can also show mucus plugging, bleeding issues, and the presence of a pneumothorax.

A Pneumothorax is a collapsed lung. This happens when air leaks into the space between your lungs and chest wall.  The size of Pneumothorax can vary.  A small incident will be closely monitored and hopefully heal on its own, but a larger incident requires a tube or needle to be inserted between the ribs to remove any excess air.  This past summer I had a Pnuemothorax.  My CF Team monitored me closely and it healed on its own.  The chances of another increase greatly once one has occurred and deterioration of the lungs continues to progress.

Stories waiting to be told.

Yet to be written...
My lungs may be filled with the scars left by CF, but they are just part of my story. Each breath I have taken is filled with beautiful memories, relationships, and stories. Each breath I exhale reveals the story living within me, and gives hope to my story yet to be written.  Thanks to you all for being such "treasures" in my life.  Love to you all.





What "treasures" fill your life?