A Most Unexpected Blessing by Diane LeFevre

A little over twenty years ago I was a young mom with five beautiful children and a great husband.  Life was busy, hectic, exhausting and wonderful all at the same time. I felt my life was complete.  My hands were full when our last little baby girl arrived.  Much to our surprise and concern, she came with a bonus - an extra chromosome!  I knew next to nothing about Down Syndrome and worried about my ability to provide all that she would need in this life.  I worried about her health issues, her ability to learn and whether her peers would treat her with kindness and love.  But what I was most unprepared for, was what SHE would teach ME about love.

In all the doctor visits, surgeries, evaluations and therapies, I had no idea that Michelle was here to take care of me, not the other way around.  From the moment she arrived the atmosphere in our home changed.  I had five other busy, very individual children that didn’t always get along with each other.  Michelle had a calming effect on all of us.  We suddenly saw our family in a new light – a light only Michelle could bring.  Her spirit was a tangible thing.  We felt that spirit in our home.  We felt like we were a little closer to heaven.  She was our little light – our spiritual light that connected us in a more eternal way.

Michelle came with an incredible ability to love. She loves unconditionally and loves regardless of appearance, station in life or age.  (Well maybe that’s not quite true – she tells me she loves chubby guys!) As she grew I worried that someone would take advantage of her.  But no one did.  They must have felt her spirit too.   I was warned that when she reached a certain age, her classmates would begin to tease her.  To my knowledge it only happened once.  I watched time and time again as her peers looked after her, helped her, and loved her.  They invited her to birthday parties, sat by her at lunch and talked to her.  When she became a teenager they invited her to Prom and Homecoming and even voted her Homecoming Queen.  Now she is grown up and she still continues to shine that light of hers.  She shares her testimony every fast Sunday and greets people as they come to church.  She gives the best hugs and tells me every night that she is my ‘best baby girl.’

As Michelle grew, Lyle and I seriously considered moving to a larger community so that Michelle could associate with other young adults with Down Syndrome and have more opportunities for social interaction and growth.  But her teachers, both in school and in church, and community members provided so much love and support that we found St. Johns to be a very good place for Michelle.  She is able to work in the community and loves those she works with.  Her jobs provide a place to see people she knows and a place for her to feel that she is valued and needed.  Our little community has been wonderful to her.  People watch out for her, love her and help her feel secure.  If they see her alone in the community they call me to make sure she is where she should be and that she is safe.  They give her opportunities to serve in church. They talk to her when she is at work.  We are so blessed to live in a place that values the worth of a soul not by outward appearance but by the heart.

But even more than that, we are blessed to have Michelle in our lives.  Her spirit continues to shine bright and she knows how to cheer us up when we are feeling down.  That warm glow fills our house when she is there.  She taught me what unconditional love is really about.  I am so thankful for that one extra chromosome!