I decided to start writing about my experiences raising Steven as well as other crazy things about my life. I am terrible at journaling so I don’t know how this is going to go but I am going to give it a try. I am calling this “Blessing in Disguise” because that is exactly what it is like to have a special needs child. When your child with a disability is born you think; this is going to be terrible and life changing (and your right) and that God must have something to teach you (right again), but what you don’t expect are the ah ha moments that take your breath away. One example of these moments is when Steven at 15 finally learned to ride a bike. Everyone knows that it is a big deal to learn to ride a bike at any age. The parents are excitedly on the sidewalk with the video camera as the little tyke rides by, pedaling furiously with a big smile on their face, but when the little tyke is 15 and 130lbs the joy is inexplicable. We not only waited a long time for this we weren’t sure it would ever happen. Only after he learned did we find out that only 10% of children with Down syndrome ever learn to ride a bike. I couldn’t believe it, he was one of the 10%. Wow! Once again God has blessed me beyond belief. I hope this will be a source of encouragement to some, but there may be days that it is just a way to vent some frustration. In any case I will attempt to chronicle some of my life’s journey.