October Is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Loren Brianne

JUST BECAUSE LIFE ISN’T PERFECT DOESN’T MEAN IT ISN’T BEAUTIFUL

I love that quote!

I come from a long line of perfectionists.

My dad made beautiful wood furniture. Perfectly crafted. And he wrote remarkable poems. Perfectly punctuated. And perfectly typed.

My grandmother never had a hair out of place. Her nails were always perfectly manicured and polished. Red. And she always wore earrings and tasteful heels. To clean the house. And cook dinner.

So I come by it naturally. I want (need?) things to be orderly. And always in their place. And tidy. And all the clothes hangers to match. And all the identical leftover containers to be stacked in a row in the fridge. And every photo to be cropped just right. And every post I write to be impeccable. In other words — perfect.

It’s exhausting!

I love that quote because it reminds me that in life, there really is no such thing as perfect. No matter how hard I might try to achieve it. I’m always going to be just a little not perfect. (Or sometimes a lot not perfect!)

And over time I’ve learned that that is SO MUCH BETTER. Life is so wonderful in the imperfection of it! And really — what would the world be like if we actually could be perfect?? Pretty scary! Remember The Stepford Wives???

If you’ve read my story, then you know that I have a daughter who has Down Syndrome. She’s the most AMAZING young woman!

I’ve so often said that she has taught us way more than we could ever teach her.

Like forgiving and forgetting.

And loyalty.

And always taking time for a hug.

And unconditional love.

And being perfectly REAL.

So I’m not going to let my life be defined by whether it’s perfect or imperfect.

I’m going to just embrace the wonderful, beautiful, incredibly blessed life I’ve been given.

To learn more about what it’s like to have a child with a disability, read Welcome to Holland here