John Lammer

I'm sad to share that Tom's dad died on Thursday. We met John over 15 years ago when Annette and Tom first started dating. He and Tom's mom Theresa have always been very welcoming and hospitable whenever we saw them. We have enjoyed many dinners over the years at their place and have celebrated many wonderful occasions together, along with some sad ones as well. Just two weeks ago, we were invited to share the occasion of his 70th birthday. While it was difficult to see him not feeling well, it was wonderful to see his friends and family come together to celebrate John and his life. He was a well respected man in his community as we heard about many times that evening. He and Theresa raised two great sons and they are a tribute to his legacy. He will be missed by many!

Happy Birthday, Kurtis!

April 18 is a special day in our family... the day that Kurtis Thomas came into our lives to bless us all. It's hard to believe how quickly time passes and yet again, that spring day seems quite some time ago. Kurtis is growing into a wonderful young pre-teen (yikes!). Learning about how things work around him have always been a strength of his. He has such an inquisitve mind! I also love to see how is continuing to develop such a caring and kind way about him. We are proud of him, Tom and Katharine are proud of him, his grandparents are proud of him and we know his mom would be proud of him too. So many people love you, Kurtis! Happy Birthday! xoxo

Common Threads

About a year ago, I posted a link to a birth story of a beautiful little girl who happened to have an extra 21st chromosome (Trisomy 21 otherwise known as Down Syndrome). Her mother wrote such a beautiful tribute about how welcoming her daughter into their family was a journey of initial pain that turned into a love she could never imagine.

Well, Nella is turning one and once again her mother has a beautiful blog post about her, their lives this past year and many beautiful pictures of individuals with Trisomy 21. I love this quote from her: "I can tell you this though. I have changed. My eyes have been opened to the broad spectrum of beauty, the value of uniqueness and the amazement of the common thread that binds us all regardless of the color of our skin or the makeup of our chromosomes."

We all want the same thing...to be valued and loved no matter who we are. I love the words "common thread that binds us together". It reminds me of the Down Syndrome convention that Annette worked tirelessly on. It's theme was "Common Threads". Perfect. We are all bound by common threads.It is definitely worth a read... so heartwarming and a wonderful model of what inclusion in our world could really look like. Check it out!

Happy Birthday, Nella!