”Happy New Year”
Have you found yourself saying this often when you great your friends, even though it has been 16 days ago? You’ve heard this saying for your entire life, but does it have any meaning for you? I decided to reflect on it a little bit and what has made my very happy in the past.
What makes me happy? What makes you Happy? I scanned my photos in my “photo files” on my hard drive and I found so many, I thought I would share them with you. Of course, children and grandchildren are on the top of my list. Pictured here is Aunt Kate with our second grandson, Nick, when he was a toddler. We had a playhouse in the backyard of our Douglasville home and we were so happy when the grandchildren used it. You know, I’m sure, that constructing such a structure takes a lot of work. So it becomes really meaningful when it actually gets used. Revisiting this photo after 15 years still makes me very happy remembering the day I took the photo. I’ll bet that you have something similar in your photo file. file
Sisters having fun together is another thing that brings me happiness and joy. Here, Kate and older sister Chris are captured sitting on a bench at Williamsburg Virginia. Again, my suspicion is that you have gone there with your family. If you haven’t, you might put it on your bucket list. It is just a really fun and happy place to be. Even though it is “historic” and history might not be your cup of tea, it is nothing like going to the Ben Franklin Museum, for example, in downtown Philadelphia. There is so much to see for children, teens, parents and grandparents and I highly recommend it as a family adventure.
Are you starting to get the picture, pun intended? Family time together is what makes me the most happy. Siblings getting along with each other makes me happy. Looking through photo albums with family members makes me happy. Here is a picture of son, John, pushing Kate on a swing in the backyard. I don’t think I need to go into the details of this moment in time. Just look at their faces. Kate was about 8 years old this day.
About the same time as the swing photo above, there was Halloween and we fully embraced it with pumpkin carving. We would sometimes go to a family friend’s home for a carving party complete with chili, hot apple cider, and gingerbread cookies. It is so much fun to have this family moment, especially when they are kids! Photos, again, take us down a nostalgic memory lane when we remember these moments. I hope that this article brings back happy memories of your own children doing similar things that make us so happy.
Having a child with Down syndrome ensures that your family has many, many happy times. A child like this only brings joy, so why do so many people think that it is a burden? You might have a little difficult time at accepting this reality (having a child with a disability) but your heart is very quickly turned to joy and happiness. So why do so many people think that this is such a burden, that this will ruin the rest of your family’s life? It is something that you might rethink. I encourage you to take another look at Down syndrome.
Having a child with Down syndrome ensures that your family has many, many happy times. A child like this only brings joy, so why do so many people think that it is a burden? You might have a little difficult time at accepting this reality (having a child with a disability) but your heart is very quickly turned to joy and happiness. So why do so many people think that this is such a burden, that this will ruin the rest of your family’s life? It is something that you might rethink. I encourage you to take another look at Down syndrome.
MYTH: Parents will not Find community support in bringing up their child with Down syndrome.
TRUTH: In almost every community of the United States there are parent support groups and other community organizations directly involved in providing services to families of individuals with Down syndrome. You can find a list of groups at http://www.ndss.org/Resources/Local-Support.