Leif Christianson

A little bit of boring stuff first. I hope you won't mind. I'll post a proper update right after this. In the last 6 months, my beautiful, active, life-loving little boy has gone from never sitting still to spending a lot of time in this bed. It's my bed actually. When we built our home, we never imagined Leif having trouble with stairs or needing a shower where he could sit down or needing to be where I could keep an eye on him, so we only put one bedroom on the first level. But guess what? It's a pretty little room with a comfortable bed, a big master bath with a walk-in shower and a tub that my long boy fits in. We are so grateful we have it! This brings me to a hope I have for you, dear friends and family. Although my oldest son has leukemia, we live in a lovely home that we were fortunate enough to build (thanks Highland Homes). We have a wonderful support network of friends and family near and far, access to great medical care, and we live in a place of peace, prosperity, and freedom. My husband is a physician and that has helped us understand and navigate this foreign world of cancer. Most importantly, we have a firm belief in Jesus Christ and daily experience the power and grace that comes from his Atonement. So please don't let our situation overcome you with sadness or worry, not even for a minute. If I could wish anything, it would be that from seeing our situation you will know that we can do hard things in this life, that God is there, and the Atonement has enough power to help us through anything difficult. Yes I have to take deep breaths to bear some things, sometimes I can't stop the tears for a day, and the thought of a life without my best little friend causes me to choke back bile; but, I know now more than I ever have that the Savior is intensely involved in our lives, that Leif's cancer is an invitation to know Christ better, and his power is enough to help imperfect and weak people through their worst fears. Life is not only still beautiful, it is more beautiful.