Normal

Preface: Today was much harder for others – impossible in fact. Praying for strength for the victims and families in Connecticut. I can’t even imagine that kind of sorrow.

Normal

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

It wasn’t a good day. My excitement for Mia’s rolling was met with: “it’s not like she’s developmentally advanced or anything.” Sigh. No kidding. Okay, I realize she’s not developmentally advanced. I realize that these are normal things that happen. Did she roll early? Yes. Will it happen again in the next 6 months? Who knows? Here’s the thing. She’s physically capable of rolling. The hours of hard work have paid off. She’s not a limp child lying on the floor.

When you have a kid with a disability, the doctors, nurses, and therapists tell you a lot of good things that your child will be able to do (so you don’t completely freak out, I’m sure), but they also tell you the possible negatives – cognitive delays, physical delays, leukemia, blood disorders, deafness, early onset dementia…I could go on and on. So when your child does something very normal (and maybe a little ahead of schedule), you feel like throwing a party. Most parents throw little parties when their children achieve milestones in general – even with “chromosomally typical” children. (Feel free to smile, it’s my favorite description.)

It’s going to be a long, sad life if we aren’t allowed to celebrate normal. Do I constantly need to be reminded that she’s different? Does she always have to be “the other?” Is that fair? Does she get to be human?

It’s a struggle – a fight between optimism and pessimism, between faith and despair.

There’s so much wrong with today. It’s a cruel, dangerous world. Inspiration is in short supply.

But –

“I do not believe this darkness will endure.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

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