To All Special Mothers (We recently welcomed another baby with Down Syndrome into our church. I shared this note with the new mother. But it is a blessing for all mothers, because in some way or another, all of the children God sends are special, as are their mothers.) For the Mother of a Special Son-- Down syndrome. It happens once in every 700 to 1000 births, they say. An unfortunate alignment of chromosomes. Could happen to anyone. More likely to happen with older mothers, they say. “They” know nothing. A baby with Down syndrome is different, certainly, but not a freak. A baby with Down syndrome is a baby, a precious handful of life, made in the image of God. And his mother is not a woman to be pitied for the cruel lot that was handed to her by giving birth to a genetically inferior child. If anything, she should be honored, because of 1000 mothers, she was the one chosen by God to nurture a special life. God chose YOU. He chose you-- --to give up your preconceived notions of what makes a human valuable, to see what He considers valuable--a loving, living, breathing soul. He chose you-- --to support a little head that wants to flop, to tap the sluggish jaw shut, to exercise the low-tone muscles. Through this, you will understand how much He prods and pokes and waits upon His wayward children. He chose you-- -- to give of yourself to see that one life will live and prosper, much as He gave of Himself to see that we could live and prosper. He chose you-- -- to hold in your hands a child in whom there is no guile, who will love freely, who will reveal to you who you are and who God is. He chose YOU. YOU are blessed. From the Mother of a Special Daughter. Copyright (c) 2001 by Helen Widger Middlebrooke. All rights reserved. As long as this file is left intact, permission is granted for use on websites or in newsgroups or in e-mail.