Day 25 - Reaching Out
I was thinking about a blog topic today, well in between rushing from Point A to Point B, I 've thought about it. Sitting here tonight watching TV while Bradley is working on falling asleep I was thinking about who I want to make aware about Down syndrome. I thought it was important that all kinds of new people learned about Down syndrome and leaned about Bradley - who he is, what he does, how he's not that different than everyone else. Sure he has an extra chromosome, but just because he's special doesn't mean that we all aren't pretty great too. I mean it's like winning a cosmic lottery right! I mean winning the lottery is winning the lottery after all - it's pretty cool really.
So now I'm thinking that maybe awareness just needs to be right here, with the ones that know and love him and stop through to check in on his progress, his crazy sisters and the parents that they drag along behind them on their adventures. And as much as I want the world to back off a bit and not destroy every Trisomy 21 embryo they find with all this new genetic testing, and I want the world to stop using the R-word so as not to destroy the joy of life for each developmentally disabled person - doing this Challenge has left me feeling that my voice is so much smaller than I ever thought possible. I haven't a loud voice, but it's strong. And there are times that it will reach, even the back of the room. Sisters of my heart have heard my voice and they have responded in kindness and love and shared the story of Bradley and they've chosen to spread awareness about him and Down syndrome. When they've reached out to us this month, in person or over Facebook, it's touched me to my soul. I mean my heart feels the warmth and the love but my soul; the very essence of my core feels the joy of being connected to people that truly love my son. Will his circle grow, I think it might.
I've been working on getting the "Thank You" cards for the Buddy Walk. It was important to get the perfect picture to remind our Team why they came out to walk, why they donated, why they supported. New faces came and fell in love with our son. New people donated and it is imperative that I introduce them to my son and how great he is, how beautiful. His is a journey that needs to be taken, his is a road we have to take him down. His is a story that can be shared and his is a life that can enrich all others, his is a life worth living. We feel pretty good about that. So maybe it's the quiet voice that speaks with love and tells the story of one special little boy that will make the most difference. My voice will trigger yours, and because you love my son, your voice will speak out to teach and to defend, and others will start to listen and then start to hear. One step will lead into another and we will find others willing to walk it with us...
Six days left in this Challenge...six more days to get the word out that it's okay to have a child with Down syndrome. Six days to get the word out that life is not meant to be easy, it's meant to be lived. six days to get the word out that our life is okay, better even. Stress is a dish best served floating in laughter and seasoned with love - keeps the heart burn down; and maybe that's what we've had the most in our house but we're still doing pretty great. I guess it's just important that people know this, that the fear of having a child in the house with Down syndrome won't be such a consuming fear; that life with Bradley is made difficult by his medical issues, the rest just fits into the day. As a parent you always do the best you can to create the best life you can for your kids, doesn't matter how many chromosomes they have.
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