Monday, May 5, 2014

It Doesn't Make a Difference

Thank you to those who commented on the question in my last post. After thinking about it for a while, I think that extra chromosome could be a blessing.

Now please know, I don't know if there is a correct answer here, this is just my opinion. But that extra chromosome has opened up new worlds for us, introduced us to people we would have never met and brought experiences we never would have had otherwise.

That extra chromosome helped make my daughter who she is today. It has given her an innocent view of this sometimes harsh world and allowed her to love with a pure heart.

But...

If I had the choice, would I choose to have Down Syndrome? Would I choose to be 'blessed' like that? Hmm, I don't think I would. The world often treats Beth unkindly, they view her as 'less than' and I don't think I would choose that. It would be hard to walk in her shoes.

Maybe, like you said, it's not a blessing or a burden.

It just is.

Some days we can see all the great and wonderful things about Down Syndrome and other days the hard things keep us from seeing anything.

I like how it always seems to come down to one word: Normal.

Substitute the words Down Syndrome with anything: some days we can see all the great and wonderful things about... marriage and other days the hard things keep us from seeing anything.

Some days we can see all the great and wonderful things about... college and other days the hard things keep us from seeing anything.

Everyday LIFE is great and wonderful and hard and scary. Maybe that extra chromosome doesn't make that much of a difference after all!

It's not a blessing or a burden. It just is.

3 comments:

Kimberly said...

I see it like having a boy or girl. Like you, I have all girls. I don't miss having a boy and I sometimes feel like I lucked out not having a boy, but I'll bet if I had a boy I would be grateful for him the way that I'm grateful for my daughter with Ds. While the extra chromosome may not be a blessing, my daughter is. If I had a boy, the y-chromosome wouldn't be a blessing, but I'm sure I would feel like my son was.

Laura said...

These last two posts have struck a chord with me! I am pregnant with my third child and she has Down syndrome too, just like my second child. For the last 23 weeks I've reanalyzed all my thoughts about Ds. Our experience with Ds has been 100% positive but Ben is only 3.5 years old - not much time to really know what that means for him and our family. But, in the end, I've come to the same conclusion as you. Down syndrome, like anything else, has highs and lows. Most of the time it's just boringly normal. This time around with a little girl I've read each of your posts with even more interest. When I see Beth, I see a beautiful woman. I hope my little girl is as wonderful as she is!

Kristin said...

well said :)