A Good Life

The other day someone asked how Tanner was feeling after having been sick recently with a fairly unusual virus. They said something to the effect of "God must really have alot of faith in you because he just keeps giving you more and more to deal with." Over the past year, a couple of other people have made similar observations such as "after all you've been through...." that seem to be subtle references to "hardships" of having Brennan. Granted, these comments are not from close friends or family, but it is clear that some people assume that having a child with Down syndrome is somehow extremely difficult or something to be pitied. This, of course, could not be farther from the truth. We may have worries or challenges that parents of "typical" kids don't, but as most families similar to ours already know, the joy of having Brennan in our lives is so much greater than the perceived challenges. The smiles, love and laughter that he adds to our home brings us so much happiness. Seeing the close relationship between him and his siblings, and meeting older kids and adults with Down syndrome and envisioning what Brennan's future holds brings us so much joy.

I recently read the saying "There's more than one way to have a good life." This is so true for me, for our family and especially for Brennan. The definition of a good life means different things to different people, but I can assure you that we have a good life....a very good life. And I believe wholeheartedly that Brennan does and will continue to, also.