Down Syndrome Awareness: Joshua's Selfless Gift

When you have a child with Down Syndrome, I think it's normal to have some questions. Like, what will they be able to understand...how will they fit into your family...how will it affect the siblings.

Well.

It was the Christmas before Rhodie was born. We hadn't found out yet that he was a boy.

A couple of days before Christmas, Joshua came downstairs and whispered to me, "I have the perfect gift for Holly's baby." Joshua's eyes were lit up and sparkling. He was so excited.

I said, "what's the gift?" He said, "Nathan."

If you knew Joshua during the first 8-10 years of his life, you knew Nathan.

Nathan was Joshua's Cabbage Patch baby doll, and Joshua took him EVERYWHERE. In fact, Joshua "loved" Nathan so much, that his head was nearly severed, hanging on by a thread. I had to rush around and try to find a NEW NATHAN that looked exactly like the OLD NATHAN...and make the ol' switcheroo.

I haven't seen or thought about Nathan in years. Like...in twenty years or so. The first Nathan is in the hope chest...severed head and all...but the 2nd Nathan? I had no clue where he was.

Well, apparently, he was on the top shelf of Joshua's closet. Joshua said he had to "use a golf club to whack him down."

Sweet, right?

I was really taken aback by all of this, because Joshua thought of this all on his own. He was so excited to surprise Holly. I seriously almost lost it when he told me about this (turns out I wouldn't be the only one).

I told Jim and the boys about Joshua's gift, so we all knew it was coming. We saved it for last.

Holly opened the bag. Joshua had written a "poem" to her about the baby. On the outside of the note, he wrote something like, "a great treasure for your baby is inside this bag." 

She opened it up, and pulled out Nathan.

To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She started crying...and then she laughed...and then she cried. SHE KNEW what a special gift this was.

Joshua said, "I don't need him anymore...it's your baby's turn." 

(sniff)

Nathan is a little bunged up, a little dirty...and he may have every disease known to man on him...but we were all so touched by Joshua's selfless gift.

"Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13