I Have A Daughter

I have a daughter. Actually I have two daughters, and one son. But it is my oldest daughter that I want to talk about. She was conceived in Taiwan, but born in Canada. To this day, her favorite food is plain steamed white rice. But I digress. Before she was born, doctors in both Taiwan, and then Canada, gave her little to no chance of survival following her birth. The doctors in Canada said it would be a miracle if she even survived to full term. Well, guess what? God did a miracle, and more.

Erin was born at full term, small, but healthy. As we were told beforehand, she did have Down Syndrome. She was our first child, and we received her into our own and joyous arms. It was a time for celebration, not mourning.

We were shaken however, as first time parents, and not quite sure knowing what to do with this special child. We believed she was a gift from God, and we accepted her with all the joy and grace any parent would accept any child.

Since then, she has blessed our life more than we could have ever imagined. She has opened doors no other child could. She has shown us what it means to accept others, no prejudice, no pretense. Erin has always had a zeal for life that we find unmatched in others. When she is offended, she is the first to forgive, and quickly restore the relationship. She is the epitome of unjudging love and acceptance.

One of my greatest pleasures in life is to cuddle with her at bedtime. She still wants me to sing to her and tell her a bedtime story, anything about her being a princess and me being the King that comes to rescue her. She really loves her mom, but in many cases, it is only her Dad that is good enough to help her with certain things.

All three of my kids are a blessing, and I love each of them. But Erin, is, of course, special. I used to ask God why He created her the way He did. Now I just thank Him. I thank Him from the bottom of my heart. This young girl that has brought such joy and love into my life.

The Bible says that in heaven the imperfect will be made perfect. When I think of Erin, that makes me a bit sad. I love Erin the ways he is. Without the Down Syndrome, she would not be who she is. On the other hand, I look forward to getting to know fully the daughter that I only know in part now. One day, she will have the verbal skills to express all that she has felt in this life. She will be able to tell her brother what a great brother he has been. She will be able to tell her little sister how important it was for her to HAVE a sister. She will be able to tell her Mom & Dad all that she has silently harbored in her heart these many years.

For now, I am Erin's Dad, and that makes me both proud and special, for she indeed is a special girl. Erin, you are special, but you are also a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, and a friend. When we look at you, we see you as a person first, and the DS second.

Erin, I love you! Nothing, NOTHING, will change that.