terrypetersen

When you set sail for Ithaca,
wish for the road to be long,
full of adventures, full of knowledge. (C.P. Cavafy )

My husband, younger son, our youngest granddaughter, and I have set sail for St. Louis in a Toyota. We decide to stop to eat. Customers surround the building at our first choice. Sure, this could bring an adventure, but not the one we had in mind. Our little one doesn’t sit still long. Besides, my husband’s mother, Ella’s great grandmother, is waiting for us.

The next restaurant looks much better, especially since I have a gift certificate for this place in my purse. We get a table without a wait.

“Mom, look, isn’t she cute?” comes an animated voice from the table behind me. A teenaged girl with bright eyes and neatly styled dark hair sits with her mother. The girl points to Ella.

“Come on over and say hello,” I say.

The two girls have something in common: they both have Down syndrome.

The teenage girl’s mother and I talk. Before long I realize that we have been visited by a celebrity. The girl with the dark hair’s name is Karrie Brown, easily found on Google. She dreamed of becoming a model. And she did. She has 31,831 likes on her Facebook page as of this moment. (correction, 31,834: I am now one of them.) The following link is only one of many sites that follow her journey: http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/dressed/2013/09/karrie-brown-is-17-has-down-sy.htmlhttp://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/dressed/2013/09/karrie-brown-is-17-has-down-sy.html

Karrie’s determination encourages me to keep going after my goal. Age does not need to stand in my way. Too old is a poor excuse. I will not use it. Besides, I have two novels ready to go, and I have had more short stories and poems published this year than I have ever managed previously. I am a late bloomer in the extreme. Okay, Grandma Moses was older.

Ella smiles through bites of chicken. She has possibilities, too. Her speech may be limited, but she loves words—and she sounds them out. She works to capture them. As we continue on our travels Ella goes over the same printed cards with a level of concentration that makes me smile all the way through. Moreover, our youngest granddaughter doesn’t complain about the trivial. She has larger visions in mind. Who knows what adventures she will discover? I’m with her all the way.

People with Down syndrome are as individual as everyone else. They may be likely to display certain characteristics, but these actions don’t describe every person with Trisomy 21.  I notice that my little girl doesn’t need to dominate or be superior in any way. She is who she is. We could all learn to have her level of acceptance. We could all learn from Karrie’s stamina and positive attitude.

I don’t think meeting her was an accident. Some higher power led us to the table behind her and her mother. Her sister just happened to be our server. What a blessing!

Keep up the good work. Karrie. This world can use your positive and beautiful example.

Photo from Karrie’s Facebook page: Karrie Brown Modeling the Future

Love can’t always be perfect, but it can certainly be sincere. Ask Karrie. It’s her way of life.