Bittersweet Buddy Walk

Day 11 of the "31 for 21: Challenge":  Buddy Walk Saturday

We knew that there was going to always be the Up side and the Down, no pun intended to that whole Down side of anything.  And we knew that from the very first Buddy Walk that we would have a day like today.  Bittersweet.

When we came home from Japan, it was to discover that so many from Atsugi were actually here in San Diego.  Our Japan family came out to walk with us, and today marked our fifth Buddy Walk, with some of our Brigaders walking all five of them with us.  First, let me say, we are truly Blessed by our Repeat walkers.  And even if they couldn't come every year, we still get repeat walkers that come back every time they can.  Two of our walkers we have a good chance they may be back next year, and if we didn't have them, I might have melted into a weepy puddle as we left each other this afternoon. As it was, as we left I had a large lump in my throat knowing that yet again, everything was changing.

Next year, our core team will be split all over the world.  One is going to Japan and one is going to Virginia.  We knew that last year having both was a gift, so we know that having them with us for one more year this year was more than a gift.  I don't know how this worked out, the Navy is a fickle thing, but for this last year, we got them again.  Five years of walking together, five years of watching our children grow, five years of joy.  Betsy, Monica, you are such a Blessing to our family, I can't imagine walking without you.  We are going to miss you so very much!  May all the good wishes of this family you Blessed, carry you safely away with the Hope that they might someday bring you back again.   Fate is taking another of our dearest loved families back to Atsugi, Japan...sigh.  Japan is going to be holding even more of the people we love very soon, and while we are very happy for them and the opportunities that will be better for all of our friends...it is never easy to let go of the family you choose because they choose you.

So today was a beautiful day, with beautiful friends, and Bradley was thrilled to chase his sisters and friends all over the grass until he was too tired to chase anymore and rode in his stroller for most of the walk itself.  But he had so much fun!  He laughed and he smiled, and he let himself relax and enjoy interacting with those who wanted so badly to interact with him.

Today was about Acceptance.  When we gather together to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness with Buddy Walks, we gather like a family reunion.  The love flows from one to another, we catch up, we make plans, we prepare ourselves for the next steps in each other's lives.  Bradley is not an extra chromosome, We walk to raise awareness for Down syndrome, we walk to raise acceptance of Bradley, and we walk to physically hug our Navy family, and love on their babies.  My little boy is just my little boy and that's perfectly enough on Buddy Walk days.  It's pretty impossible not to feel a well of gratitude for how that makes you feel.

Our team members that are moving this year: "Fair Winds and Following Seas!"  May God grant you safe passage, and may your next steps lead you to the BEST things,  With the hope that maybe our paths will cross again a little further down the road.