31 for 21: Imagination

I think I've posted about this before, but as we reach the end of our month I think it deserves repeating.  Every now and then, the interwebs are good for my imagination.  And that is why I joined in to the 31 for 21 challenge this year.

I haven't spent as much time reading blogs about Down syndrome lately as I did that first year.  But I've tried to make the rounds through the 31 for 21 participants this month.  As before, it is fun to just see the variety of families represented.  Some feel like kindred spirits, others I probably wouldn't have read if it weren't for the Ds connection.  Seeing so many options of what families with special needs children can look like keeps me from settling in to one idea of what Down syndrome will look like in our life.  Peeking at other families keeps my imagination healthy.  Sometimes I'm inspired, and take away an idea or a hope of "Yes! I can do that!"  But most of the time I don't really want to copy what anyone else is doing.  I'm just happy know that our family fits in to the mosaic, one of many.  We're just figuring out one way of the many, many ways to walk this path.

I write because I have fun writing, and I have fun sharing about my family.  But I also write to give back to the internet community a bit.  For all the ways other blogs have expanded my imagination, I offer a picture of our life in hopes of returning the favor.

So for the past month I tried to take on the challenge of sharing us consistently -- the worries, the achievements, the celebrations, the everyday.  I don't think there's anything unusual or interesting or inspiring about our family.  But we are one of many, and so we are a part of something special.