I was having lunch at a counter when I noticed a woman with a Downs child sitting just around the corner from me. My reaction was one of pity. Then another woman next to me mentioned to the mother that her child must give her a lot of work.
The mother of the Downs child said that they were delighted with their child and that he could do so much more then they were told he ever could. In fact, she said they were considering ADOPTING a Downs child because their own child had given them so much happiness.
However there is not need for pity, just a nice smile or wave will do. It is a very different life for a family with a child with special needs, your whole world is shattered and many dreams simply disappear. After the shock of the diagnosis has worn off you roll up your sleeves and hope that they can simply stay alive and get the treatment they need.
They offer us a slight glimpse of a truly beautiful world. A more gentle and understanding place where there are no hang ups or jealousy.
Simply special people who have much more to offer the main stream world than they realize.
God has given my wife and I the honor of being the parents of one of his angels. We are blessed with our son's presence and value each and every day while a mountain of challenges confronts our entire family. We will over come our journey and it is always a wonderful pleasure when someone looks at our son and wants to met him or just say hi. We are all in this together.
We can thank the bureaucrats and bean counters in medicine for trying to kill the not so perfect in their eyes.