October is Down Syndrome Awareness month.  I blog to help others see one example of a family living with Down syndrome, to raise awareness-- to show that people with Down syndrome are important members of families and communities.  Bridget is thriving.  Our lives are happy, and full of light….

The day Bridget arrived, our hopes and dreams took a big hit.  When we learned she had Down syndrome, no one in our family knew what to think, or how to feel.  We had no experience with Down syndrome.  We only knew the stereotypes, which brought sadness and concern.  We grieved the loss of the happy time it should have been, and the loss of the baby we thought we were going to meet.

Knowing what we know now, it is hard to imagine us having those thoughts about her.  The uncomfortable feelings faded quickly.  As we looked at Bridget in her tiny hospital bed, my husband and I were both struck by her beauty and the thoughts and feelings that came from deep within each of us.

The light above her was warm, strong and unforgiving.  As she lay underneath it—nearly naked and fully illuminated—our hearts and lives were also laid bare.  The light forced us to look at her, at ourselves, her future--our future.  Seeing her laying there, deserving and needing to be loved—just as any other baby—we realized that Bridget is whole.  We began to see her not as a child with a disability, but as a person, who would grow to express her own interests, talents, hopes and dreams—just as any other person.  We began to understand her potential.

When the bright warming lights were turned off, there was still a glow that surrounded Bridget.  She was radiant.  It was unexpected, and we were both moved to tears when we realized that she was the light.

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Those first hours and days were rough, as we were told of all the ways she was imperfect, of all the things she would have trouble doing—and of all the things we would likely face throughout her life. 

We heard much about the health issues and other limitations of people with Down syndrome, but very little about the enormous potential we would, in fact, see in Bridget. 

I wish we would have known then how things would be today—that we feel as though we could not live without this child; that she brightens our every day and brings meaning to our lives in ways we could never have imagined.

Far from the images we envisioned the day she was born, we’ve come to know Bridget as a healthy and expressive little girl who is reaching milestones on her own terms. She does not give up on anything, and we delight in her tenacity and determination.

Bridget is a little masterpiece, with texture and depth and richness to spare.  She gives—both effort and love—freely. She is spirited, honest and aware—she is vibrant.  She loves to giggle, has the sweetest little voice, and a smile that could melt the coldest heart.  

Others may feel that she has much to overcome, but Bridget doesn't seem to see it that way. There is an honesty, a lack of pretense, and an uninhibited determination that we see in her as she goes about her life with vigor and jubilance. 

There’s something about this journey with Bridget that’s been so powerful, and so empowering.  She is growing and learning and reaching milestones. She is an individual.  She is able to do so much.  Her life story is her own to write—and her potential is infinite. 

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When things aren’t as expected, the upside-down dynamic has its benefits.  The flip-flop reveals much about the world and how we see it.  It forces us to evaluate ourselves, the assumptions we make about one another, and our beliefs about ideals like success, beauty and perfection. 

It’s interesting how a small amount of extra genetic material in Bridget translates into so much extra in all of our lives.  We’ve learned to accept that life is not always neat and tidy (or easy), and that plans can change mid-flight.  When faced with situations we didn’t ask for or want, we often find that the experience provides something we need.

Another one of the many things we’ve come to understand through Bridget:  a diagnosis is just one aspect of a person—it is only one dimension. 

Bridget is content without being complacent.  In her own unique way, she’s showing us to accept that each of us grows in our own way and on our own timeline—and that what’s most important is not what we achieve and when, but instead it is how true to ourselves we are in the process of becoming.

Each member of our family has been enriched by knowing Bridget and learning alongside her.  As a group, we’ve decided to do all we can to share how positively we’ve been impacted.

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Light has been a constant theme in our lives and in our experience with Bridget from the beginning, so when it came to naming her website, there were no long pauses, no deliberations—it would be “Bridget’s Light”. 

What began with the bright light above her hospital bed, and continued as her radiance took on a life of its own, the words “Bridget’s Light” cover all the best parts of the message we hope to share about her—the phrase refers to everything she is, and everything she brings to the world and to our lives.  Sometimes her light is a high beam that illuminates clearly, and at great range.  At other times, it is a gentle glow.  Either way, it is constant.

We’ve always been a happy family, but there’s a special brilliance in our lives now that Bridget is here.  We’ve learned that we are not uncomfortable with disability; that we are not afraid of the darkness; and that everything seems better with Bridget in our lives.

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www.bridgets-light.blogspot.com & www.bridgets-light.com