Day 1

So I thought that this was going to be Bliss #1. During my lunch break I went out on a mission to get me some more of my new fav veggies: brussel sprouts. Instead, came back with: 2 bags of brussel sprouts, 2 bags of apples, an eggplant, bag of baby limes, and 3 boxes of blackberries for a total of $9. Those that know yours truly well know I love me a bargain so I was super excited about this find, satisfied that this was my B-moment. Little did I know that would change later in the evening.

Later in the day I read a story about a couple that sued and won $3 million because their child was born with Down Syndrome. The couple apparently had tests done and were incorrectly told that the test result came back negative for the child having any chromosome abnormality. The news article stated that the parents said if they had known, they would have aborted the child.

I am all for the power of choice to do what you want and need to do. However, working in the field of developmental disabilities has opened my eyes and heart to see what true joy families receive with having children with all types of disabilities. Yes, there are all types of challenges and frustrations that I have also heard along the way, but never once did I hear a parent tell me that they wish they had aborted their child.  So what was my B-moment?

Later in the evening I met a young man with Down Syndrome. His stepfather told me about how they bonded throughout the years. At one point stepfather said that if the young man had been his biological child, he would have seen him as a blessing. How's that for irony? Having just read the article and feeling sad about the article, then hearing a stepfather say this really lifted me up. He never saw anything that they overcame together as anything but a blessing. I knew immediately this was the bliss moment of Day 1.

Score: expected bliss: 0, unexpected: 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWLwmkvz4AA

Here is a cute video. Enjoy!