"Shotgun"

As the month of Down syndrome awareness draws to a close I am once again astounded by the changes in Cora.  she has added a consistency in signing two and three word sentences along with a lessoning of random verbal words.  she has become quite adequate at saying "Brother", "Sister", "All done" and several other words.

I delight in knowing that she is able to be understood by others and not just myself and her siblings.  This month of Down syndrome awareness had me giving a speech at a book signing for the book that I wrote.  I found that while I was talking about the book, I was also sharing some heartfelt memories that Cora has offered me along this journey.

In the talk I could feel myself slipping into the role of Life Coach and Mother.  The two blending perfectly as I talked on and on for a half hour.  I met new people who share this journey with their own children who were born with Down syndrome, and I met people who had no idea what this journey is like.  After the talk I was given countless praises and compliments on my ability to engage a crowd and lift those that attended into a new degree of awareness.

Earlier in this month I spoke of a challenge for you to advocate for Cora and others that might be walking this path paved by Down syndrome.  I found myself again thrown into an arena of onlookers who were crying with me, laughing with me and enthralled at the healing that Cora was granted from our Creator.  While I have experience in public speaking and it does not bother me, I understand this is not for everyone.

As this month draws to a close and the Down syndrome awareness takes a backseat for other causes, I encourage you to keep in the front seat and riding shotgun with you until this time next year.  In the smallest of ways, or the biggest or ways, continue to advocate for Cora's growth and others too.  Try not to hide your support under a cloak of fear, share this journey with pride.  Grab the keys and rev the motor....

You just might hear a little voice shout "shotgun" as she signs "outside"!

 

October Awareness

Being that October is Down syndrome awareness month I thought this would be a great way of advocating for Cora.  I came across this little banner on pinterest and it held my interest.  LOL.

I was going to write a wonderful, heartfelt blog that would hopefully leave you with a hidden message and blessing for the day.  Then, when I found this little banner I thought to myself, this truly says everything I wanted to write today.  So with that I leave you with this...

Have a great weekend and know that you are supporting others with Down syndrome simply by reading the blog and smiling when you read the banner. 

Ever the advocate

In this journey with Cora I was thrown into the role of advocate before I felt ready for it.  I fought that role.  I held tight to the comfort of my child and my home and hid within the walls of protection I felt they gave. Then in one sudden movement I was shifted into the advocate role as though I had been wearing it all along.  My walls of protection soon became the foundation for writing the book, advocating for not only my child, but perhaps yours as well.

October is Down syndrome awareness month and I challenge you to ask yourself ,"I am sharing this journey with Cora, what have I done this month to advocate for her?"  or maybe the question is "I am sharing the journey with my child who has Down syndrome, what have I done this month to advocate for my child?"

We are all different and with that comes the reality of having different comfort zones.  I understand that and I respect that, I even cherish that gift of individuality that Creator bestowed upon us all.  Thinking of your own comfort zone, how will you advocate for Cora this month?  How will you advocate for your child if they have Down syndrome?

For me the greatest fear that the word advocate held was the social belief that comes with it. I believed it meant I had to take on the world, become extremely vocal about everything pro Down syndrome and fight like a lioness against everything negatively said or displayed about Down syndrome.  In truth, advocating can be done in small steps or huge leaps.  It can be done in stealth mode or over a PA system.  It can be something as silent as changing your facebook picture to a Down syndrome support picture for the month, or as visible as walking in a Buddy Walk to show your support.

I again challenge you to answer the question I have posed earlier in this post, "What have you done to show your support for Cora and her journey during this month of awareness?" For me, its changing my personal facebook photo to one that says I am a proud mama of a child with Down syndrome.  It was becoming a National Down Syndrome Society Ambassador for Michigan.  It was walking in the Buddy Walk that was three hours away. It was starting the facebook page - The Gifted Choice - to not only promote the book but more importantly to help empower the moms/parents of our beautiful children instead of just focusing on how our children look.  That's my comfort zone.  What is yours?