What Are You Sorry About?

Mikayla and our dog Miley striking same nap pose!

    I had a friend this week with a daughter around Mikayla's age (almost a year old) chatting with me about his daughter starting to learn to walk and moving around.  He had that gleam in his eye that you only see in a man as a proud papa talking about his daughter.  He then stopped and apologized to me for talking about it.  I was taken aback when he said this, and I just told him: "Look man, I would NEVER want you to feel bad for being proud of your daughter and her progress."  This feeling of feeling sorry or pity is a common response when I tell someone I have a special needs daughter.  I typically just tell them I don't want you to feel sorry for me or for my daughter.  I am not sorry I have her in my life, and it certainly doesn't keep me from being proud of her.  Her progress may not be as far along as typically developing kids, but my wife Heather and I take so much joy in what progress she does experience.  You would have thought she took her first step the first time she rolled over!  She still isn't rolling over consistently yet, but it is the small things in life that get you through.
    I will just tell you that if you know us, don't feel sorry for us.  Understand our challenges YES, feel sorry NO.  We don't feel sorry for ourselves.  We have so much joy and gratitude brought into our lives because of sweet Mikayla.  She is such a trooper, and I mean it when I say she has sweetest temperament and personality.  You may think I am partial, and I probably am, but she is just a little cuddle bug who loves some TLC.  In the same way, I want you to share the joys and successes of your kids with us.  I want to be proud of them as you are, and it is always on my heart to do my best not to compare.  As I have mentioned in a previous post, comparison is often the biggest robber of joy in our lives.  If you feel some sorrow start to creep in, just think of that immortalized song from Bobby McFerrin: Whistles "Don't worry, Be Happy!"  Enjoy some NCAA basketball tonight!  Until next time...