"You can hope for a miracle in your life, or you can realize that your life is the miracle." - Robert Brault

Dr. Greenfield, Brady's amazing integrative health doctor, gave us some great advice late last summer as we tried to wrap our heads around sending our kid to college with brain cancer in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. He said, "yesterday can't be changed and 98% of the things you worry about for tomorrow aren't going to happen... so relax and focus your precious energy on the miracle of today."  As we round out the final chapter of a once in a lifetime kind of year, Dr. Greenfield's observation seems wiser than ever. 

Last week we met with Dr. Ashley, the head of our immunotherapy team at Duke.  He reiterated what we already heard from the St. Jude docs... that Brady's last two MRIs look stable and his brain shows miraculous resiliency following the removal of such a large and aggressive tumor. Then he gave us the best Christmas present we could have ever asked for - he said the Duke team has shifted their focus from acute care to survivorship planning.  That transition trumped every other shocking moment of 2020 and reminded us what a true miracle Brady continues to be. Dr. Ashley's words brought with them a gift of HOPE that quiets my fears and calms my soul. They reinforced the need to stop wasting my energy worrying about the long term data and focus on the miracle of today.

This time of year, I often wonder what Mary must have been thinking as she rode into Bethlehem so many years ago. She didn't know what the future held for her unborn son, but she knew God had a very special plan for Him. She had to be scared and overwhelmed, but her faith was stronger than her fear. What a role model she was to all of us!  Like Mary, I have no idea what the future holds for any of my kids, but I know God has plans for them that are bigger than my wildest dreams. I know that every single day is a miracle and we have been blessed again and over again. 

Our prayer for each of you as we enter 2021 is that you find JOY in each day and ETERNAL HOPE in the promise of a baby born in a barn over 2,020 year ago. Regardless of what tomorrow brings, the greatest gift of all came wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manager.  

FYI - We are still looking at MRIs every 10 weeks.  His next one will be the end of January. 

Merry Christmas!  As always, thank you for your continued prayers and love... we are forever grateful! 

- Bob, Jodi, Brady, Quincy, and Wyatt