Awareness Leads to Compassion

Photo Credit: Karen Schmidt, 2017

An Invitation to See

As October takes a deep breath and exhales with cooler temps and colorful leaves, bringing with it all the things we anticipate when summer morphs into fall, I would love to share some thoughts. I’d like to tell you about a time when a change of season came to us with no warning. No preparation. No anticipation of what to expect.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, so I thought I would jump on here and tell you about the incredible young lady who changed our world and made us aware.

May 29, 2007, our family received a gift – a gift we did not see coming – a gift we did not know we needed. Yet while “our hearts had been planning our way for the previous nine months, the LORD was carefully, intentionally establishing our steps” (my words inserted, Proverbs 16:9). For this truth I am grateful.

Ellen Elizabeth IS the gift that surprised us. She came into our lives with all the persistence and spunk that one might imagine, even starting her very young life with a solid health report – a miracle in itself. She made her mark from the get-go, encouraging laughter from family and friends when she stuck out her very long tongue, giving love to those only she was aware needed it, and breaking norms from the very beginning.

We recognize and know these things now. However, when we started this journey we were clueless. When the pediatrician said to me, “I believe your daughter has Down syndrome,” my mind raced to all the worst-case scenarios and what-ifs. “How long will she live?” “Did I do this?” The questions shouted in my mind. My husband Sean had his own set of immediate questions. But as Ellen’s incredible doctor began to alleviate our fears, we chose to make a decision: Rather than continuing on the path we had thought lay ahead, we instead chose to move forward on the path God had given us to walk, accompanied by this little one He had blessed us with – Ellen.

An Intention to Grow

With Ellen’s arrival, our new season abruptly began, and we donned the necessary apparel to make the journey. And as we continue to learn about our daughter, and about Down syndrome and all that comes with it, we make adjustments, gain new tools, and grow in understanding.

It is my hope that you, too, might grow with us – even in this short month of intentional awareness. You see, our relationship with this diagnosis extends far beyond this month of football and bonfires and Halloween.

It continues for the rest of our lives.

Maybe your perspective will be expanded slightly as you look through our lens for a moment. I trust you will gain some understanding that might cause you to see beyond a temporary point of emphasis this month.

Compassion is so powerful. I believe awareness is the flame and understanding is the fuel.

So… as I begin this series of posts, let me introduce you to the girl who has changed our world:

Our daughter, Ellen Elizabeth.

Passionate people-person.
Fun-loving friend.
Avid athlete.

Lover of music, movies, and makeup…
	And, of course, her dog. 

Witty. Hilarious.
Sensitive and kind.
Hard-working and helpful (maybe overly so at times) 😉 

Creative. Brave.
Designer. Artist. Singer.

Our song.

Bright eyes, big smile, even bigger heart… that’s our Ellen! She has changed our world, and I’m trusting that maybe just a glimpse into her world will change yours, too!

Remember:
“Compassion is powerful. Awareness is compassion’s flame, and understanding, its fuel.”

Carlee Ragains

I’m inviting you to join me in growing in awareness, so that we might increase our understanding and live with a more compassionate perspective. You in?

More to come… I hope you’ll stick around!