as i sat in one of the general sessions of the national down syndrome congress national convention, i was struck by how beautiful all those faces were. it was breathtaking, actually! those beautiful babies, children, teens and adults who share that same extra chromosome....the "extra beautiful" one! the innocent, loving, trusting chromosome! to watch them dance without embarrassment, with no fear of what others might think of them. to clap and rejoice freely over the accomplishments of others. to witness the pure joy of little girls and boys meeting cinderella and mickey mouse for the first time! it was incredibly encouraging!
it was an amazing weekend, and i'm so glad that we were able to go. i actually can't wait to go again! it was fantastic to meet facebook friends who i've come to cherish dearly over the past year. to meet new friends that i know God brought specifically into my life for a reason! to reconnect with wyatt's first friend with Ds, benjy... and to be able to deepen the relationships with have with families from our local group, acton up with downs. it was an awesome weekend!
i heard over and over again how very blessed we all are to have been given a child with down syndrome (so true!). with as much encouragement as i received, i was reminded of the hard road ahead for each of us. the therapies, school decisions, ifsps, ieps, financial decisions...the list goes on and on....all to insure that our children have the best lives they can have! it's exhausting!
it was also great to hear the end result of that hard work, as i heard self advocates (adults with down syndrome) share about their lives...lives they love....lives they live independently; working, serving, worshiping....living their lives to the fullest....just like everyone else!
because we are more alike than different.........
oh, I hope we can go next year. I am glad you enjoyed it.
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