Down Syndrome Awareness: A Post by Holly About Her Brother

Instead of writing an Our Daily Fred post for Down Syndrome Awareness today, I'm sharing the post Holly wrote about her big brother, Joshua. It's so good! I could not be more proud of these two (and the other two knuckleheads we have). God is good. I am thankful.

Sometimes I forget...

Sometimes I forget that not everyone has grown up with or known someone in their life with Down Syndrome. 

I forget that there are people that aren’t as fortunate as I am. 

My whole life I’ve had a brother with DS. I’ve known nothing different. 

I forget that people see him (and people like him) out and about, and they feel sad, scared, or uncomfortable. 

All my life, I’ve seen people point and stare and whisper. Sometimes it still catches me off guard, because I forget. (I also forget that people still think the “r” word is still acceptable in 2017, but that’s a different rant for a different day.) 

I don’t see Joshua AS Down Syndrome. Yes, he HAS Down Syndrome, yes he has certain attributes that are unique and adorable. He looks a little different from me and my other brothers. He’s “travel-sized” (as we say) and he wears glasses. He has brown hair like my mom. So when I’m out with him and I catch people looking at us, I try to smile at them. I forget that people don’t know how normal-ish our family is (because is anyone’s family really NORMAL?) 

I forget. And for that, I am thankful.

October is Down Syndrome awareness month, and I sometimes forget that people still aren’t as “aware” as my family. I have people come up to me all the time about how they love my mom’s posts about Joshua. I’m glad that through my family, and my mom’s gift for writing, that you guys can get a small glimpse into the blessing that is Our Daily Fred.

(now let's just hope that last part doesn't go straight to his head!)

"Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.