Slow and steady wins this race

 As Christmas quickly approaches, we started preparing early this year to bring out the spirit of Christmas joy which always seems to soften the blows of a difficult year. No matter how the year has gone, we can count on the spirit of the love for the Christ child to renew our souls, refresh our hardened hearts, and bring sweet smiles to our kids faces. To think that the creator of all that is would break into our world by birthing a child is profound and truly breathtaking, this knowledge, if we allow it, permits us to break into Gods world.

Gods world, our world, as we see daily is filled with tragedy and triumph. We wake each day knowing we must find the grace to love even when we are faced with tragedy, to find a way to allow the triumph of Gods existence to break through our darkness bringing light. The hardest thing God has ever done, as a father, was to allow his son to be brutalized, humiliated, and killed just so that his glorious light would shine on us in the form of Christ, Our Lord.

The hardest thing we have ever experienced was watching our son survive day after day brutal, but necessary, treatment of an illness that amazingly by Gods good grace did not take his life. And just as God, the father, must have been so happy to see his sons shinning face after his brutal trial, we too are so happy to see Walkers happy face gracing our daily lives. To think how painfully close we came to taking family photographs without him for the rest of our lives, we instead have a deep felt joy in having him here with us today. It’s going to be a very merry Christmas indeed.

Last weekend Laura, our 15 yr old daughter, had an event at Disney Springs, so we made our once a year pilgrimage to the great mouse house in search of cheese. So the McKnights and about 30,000 other folks from all over the world got to bump into one another while strolling about in search of merry. We packed in 3 tanks of air, a wheelchair to be safe, parked in a place called orange, and went off seeking to be entertained. It’s a beautiful place to be sure with lots to do, maybe a little on the crowded side for our taste to be honest. Walker had fun so it was worth every shoulder bump.

Walker is doing well. Continuing to get stronger, keeping with his great attitude about it all. It is truly remarkable how Walker keeps in such good spirits considering he has every right to complain and I know I would. He has had many private moments of hurt, confusion, and despair but seems to show strength and resolve through it all to those around him. Extraordinary!

Of course we have a long road and lots of medical issues ahead but nothing that we won’t get through together. His family is feeling confident now that he is on track to regain a lot in time of what’s been lost. As you can see by the blue tape face that he hasn’t lost his kitschy sense of humor. I hear Walker say while sitting behind me in my office, “Dad, I’m so bored, look how bored I am”. I turn to see his face covered in blue tape and laugh out loud and smile. We have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. 

While we have been blessed to have our son, there are many locally and nationwide that have lost their sons or daughters to this crazy, crazy, awful illness of the lungs caused by vaping. Our hearts break for them. The vaping compromises your lungs and then people catch a cold, pneumonia, or bronchitis type illness and their lungs can’t handle it. Please, please, please tell your friends and family to stop vaping! Tell them to use regular cigarettes or the old school e-cigarettes and they can start back vaping after the doctors figure out why this is happening and either fixit or declare it unsafe for public consumption.

May your Holidays be filled with love and laughter and your heart filled with Gods love for us in Christ.

Much Love The McKnights