October: The Month of Joshua's People

Joshua had a good day today at his Therapeutic Recreation. They went to fitness first thing, which Joshua LOVES...and then they came back to their Center for lunch. The City is having a big fishing derby out there on Saturday, and so they did quite a bit of cleaning up to get ready for that.

I went to lunch with my friend, Amy, and we had a great time catching up...she had just gotten back from a 16 day trip to Europe.

Every day, I try to post a picture of Joshua on my Facebook. I don't do it every day, but I try. Since Joshua's nickname is "Fred," I call these posts, "Our Daily Fred."

I decided to share part of that post here on the blog:

October is mostly known for pink, and breast cancer, and when we are the most intentional about checking ourselves and encouraging others who are fighting this awful disease.

October is also Down Syndrome Awareness month. Or, as we like to call it around here: "The Month of Joshua's People..." where we maybe slowww dowwwn, and look around for the beauty in the little things, and we celebrate how God made us all different and unique.

I post "Our Daily Fred" for several reasons:
*I hope that sharing our lives with Joshua brings glory to God, because He has blessed us far and above what we deserve.
*I hope it maybe encourages others in some small way.
*It lets our out-of-town family an friends keep up with him.
*And, finally, I hope it raises awareness of the fact that we are all #morealikethandifferent.

Y'all, life is hard for many people, and sometimes we make it even harder for them when we make judgments based on our own preconceived ideas, or because of how they look or talk or walk.

Could we maybe #changethefaceofbeauty by looking at people in a different way? Could we maybe see others through the eyes of Christ?

Because, seriously...look at the face of my child...or your child...or a child that you know. And then look past that face...to see a person who has a heart and a soul and dreams...a person who was fearfully and wonderfully made by a wise and compassionate Father.

"...God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7