3:21 World Down Syndrome Day

Tomorrow Morning I will pull out our 3:21 T-shirts that Grandma Nec ordered us and we'll be clad in our DS pride attire celebrating this life that has chosen us and the blessing that our  son Porter Ray is.

Last year I did a post titled Why We Celebrate.  This year Aaron and I are co-authoring a list of 21 ways that having a child with Down Syndrome has changed us.  I'll be putting a tag on each item so you know who wrote it because this experience is unique to each of us so we don't have the same feelings but they certainly are similar.  It's probably pretty obvious because he's a guy and I'm such a girl.

Sporting some Granddad Fashion

Having a Child with Down Syndrome has changed me by...

1. teaching me to finally allow myself to acknowledge and understand that perfection lies in imperfection. --meg
2. giving me greater tolerance and love for people with disabilities.-- aaron 
3. helping me shake off and let go of the hurt this world can do. -- meg
4. opening my eyes to scripture.  Like this story: Help Thou My Unbelief... Christ helped parents of Children with Special Needs during his time on earth.  I often listen to talks about parenting and find myself thinking, but it's different with Porter.  I believe that Christ will strengthen me and my son as we travel this path together.  I believe it is a reasonable possibility to imagine Christ walking with someone who had DS.  If not then I know He does now and loves everyone even if they have extra chromosomes or are the parent of a special needs child.   --meg 
5. learning to appreciate small milestones and simple progress. --aaron
6. opening the doors of Heaven to me as I have asked and in return I've been guided.--meg 
7. giving me hope in Humanity.  Porter shows me that the majority of people are good and they are a powerful influence. --meg 
8. showing me sign language is cool!-- aaron 
9. bringing me back to my true self.  Taking care of Porter in addition to the typical responsibilities of motherhood forces me to work on myself.  I have learned that caring for myself is necessary so I have more to give not only to him, but everyone. - meg
10. forcing me to be more out going because people are drawn to him and want to talk with us.--aaron
11. giving me unwavering belief in God and His Plan.  I trust it. - meg
12. (an addendum to 11) I was raised to believe in God and while I think that is part of the reason for my constant faith, I also believe this to be a defining quality of my spirit.  I was sent to earth with this wiring.  I do trust that Porter is a huge part of God's Plan for Me, but that doesn't mean I don't question my Heavenly Father or at times feel distant from my God as I experience the pain, frustration and sadness that parents of children with special needs face.  All it means is that I can not ever turn completely away; these past 4 years have taken my strong roots and woven them deeper and wider. -- meg
13. showing me that you can't always believe what Doctors tell you. - meg
14. educating me about things I might not have learned about otherwise.  Like how an eye exam works, or seeing how blind my wife really is, seeing a heart and learning how it works.--aaron 
15. giving me the opportunity to work on forgiving others.  Friends and strangers alike have said some very ignorant things.  4 years ago I got so hurt by it but now I let it go. - meg
16. stressing me out!  Mommy stress is very universal, but when you've got a child with lots of health/development/emotional/schooling etc. issues it is multiplied.  The blessing in this is learning how to manage stress... I'm not there yet.  Maybe one day.  - meg
17. Acceptance- (a ditto to Aaron's #2) Porter has taken away my intolerance for people who are or believe or behave or choose differently than me.  I'm now painfully aware of how intolerant I was as a youth and young adult.  Yay, for progress! - meg
18. eliminating the word Retarded from our vocabulary.  Neither of us has said it since before May 31, 2009 the day Porter was born. -- aaron & meg
19. allowing surrender to my illusion of "control".  I no longer believe in, "My life is supposed to be...", "By that time we will..."  "If things go according to plan..."  I still plan things but not our lives.  I'm more patient in the unknown and put control where it really belongs...with God. - meg
20. showing me that my son is just as COOL as any other child! - aaron and meg
21. giving me LOVE!  Love does not fail.   Love is in the acts and also felt.  Love is not always spoken.  Love from Porter is unconditional and eternal.  Having a child with special needs is at it's very core about the same exact thing it is with any Parent and Child...it's about LOVE!!!  - meg

HAPPY WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY!!!

If you want to do a little thing to show support for our Porter wear mismatched socks, take a picture and post it somewhere.  If you do would you tag me in your post so I can show him the pictures.  We love and thank you all for the constant kindness you give to our Porter, Porter!!!