Joy

Here I am, the day before my last entry in the "31 for 21" challenge. The challenge was to blog every day for the month of October, which was Down Syndrome Awareness month. It has been hard - even though I talk a lot, finding something newsworthy and/or interesting every day to blog about was difficult. I found that there were days I was a lot more negative than I usually am regarding Williams Syndrome. Was I just trying to find a topic? I actually think that was the case. I definitely have my days where the world is bleak, but they pass, and I move on. This month I captured them and kept them alive. Didn't mean I didn't have them, but I think I widen the spotlight, sustained it.

Here's the truth... and I will swear to it: Brady brings me joy. His every obstacle and hurdle that he leaps over, his scrunched up face that breaks into a smile that I waited for for 14 months, every happy dance I do when he eats the whole container of yogurt... simple and serious, he brings me joy. Does it break my heart he struggles to learn to sit up? Yes. But then he accomplishes that task and my heart bursts with joy. Does it break my heart when I feel we're left out of children's activities because he hasn't developed? Yes. But then today we spent the afternoon with Clare, 2 w/WS, and we make plans to visit Tatum in January :):), and we don't feel alone. Especially when we gets hugs from Clare, and Jamie to boot! Does my stomach tighten when we need to go to the cardiologist, the geneticist, the xxx-ist? Yes. But then I remember we live in 2007, with revolutionary treatments, medicines and therapies.

There's a cloud. There's a silver lining. The trick is to remember that all clouds have them.