"His eyes disappear when he laughs and smiles, and it is
my favorite. His dark fine hair shimmers in the light and he gets the
prettiest most even tan in the summer.
I never
imagined having a Chinese son; it wasn't in my childhood picture of my
future family. For the most part, families "matched" growing up in the
1980's. Even as my own extended family grew in diversity by marriage and
adoption, and I began to imagine adopting one day, I still only pictured
black/brown and white children in my future family. China was never on
my radar.
Thankfully, God has plans we never imagine for ourselves - plans
that bless us beyond measure. Our heart has expanded not only for our
son and people with Down syndrome, but also for the people of China. I feel tied into their past, present and
future. The Church of China is heavy on my heart, and I pray for it's
people often. I have been learning that when you love someone so fiercely, their
people become your people; their joys become your joys; their pain
becomes your pain; their victories become your victories;
their struggles become your struggles. You can't understand all of
their story, but you can empathize and sit with them in it.
Diversity is a
buzz word these days, whether it's diversity in race, gender,
ethnicity, disability, economics, religion or education, we are all
supposed to want more of it. But just being around people who are different than
you won't necessarily change things - you have to invest into
relationships. Enter into their life, and they into yours. This is how
empathy grows and understanding forms. This is how our hearts change,
how prejudice is slowly erased, and the beauty of the human race is fully
realized."
- Rachel Baxter
In honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, please take time to view this priceless video, The Archibald Project, about Ben's homecoming to his family.
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