The BIG Thirty

This year sees my brother turn 'the BIG thirty' and whilst 30th birthday's are special ones, this one is even more special. My brother Jonathan has Down's Syndrome and he could not be more excited about his birthday, mainly because everyone keeps asking him what he wants to do. The majority of his answers are food related, BBQ's are a popular favourite with his birthday being around the August bank holiday. Also he LOVES them and would be quite happy to have one when it snows...

There are no real plans set yet but every week the list of ideas grow. Just today I thought about two more ideas, it's quite clear that his birthday might be celebrated for the entire year! Which actually is pretty much deserved.

At school I had to do a project for English class and I picked my brother as my project choice. Whether this was coerced by the school to help others learn about Down's Syndrome as my brother was at the same school as me or maybe it was my own idea, I don't know. I suspect it might have been a bit of a mix of the two. I don't remember my parents telling me that Jonathan had Downs, they must have done at some point! But I don't remember it at all.

Investigating Down's Syndrome for this project I remember confused me and it was through this that I found the most devastating piece of information.

 The average person with Down's Syndrome will have a life expectancy into their mid-twenties.

I didn't cry. I didn't ask my parents about it. I just accepted it. It sounds heartless the way that I have written it but there wasn't a thing that I could do to change it. In a way, I guess I accepted it. Like I accepted he was slower to learn things than I was; slower to crawl, to walk, to talk.

I never thought about that sentence until a few weeks ago, just after my birthday when I suddenly had a flashback to that moment. It was almost a celebration of the fact he was still here, he had beaten those odds that years ago seemed like his fate. Advances in technology and advancements in care have seen the average expectancy rise up to the 60's and beyond.

So with a bit of planning he should be in for the best 30th birthday ever. That's my plan!



*The above song was the first song that my Mum heard after my parents were told that Jonathan had Down's Syndrome. Always such a beautiful song with special meanings for us :-)






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Who Do You Think You Are

I've always been a bit into family history stuff. I absolutely love the Who Do You Think You Are TV series and I've always wanted to get into my own family history.

Collision Course

I don't have the easiest relationship with my Mum, for now we kind of tread water to be able to sustain some kind of speaking term. It's never been particularly easy but in the last ten years or so it has been tested to it's limit.

Happiness is...?

It's a good question - What is happiness?

There is no real definition of happiness and I can't really tell you what happiness is, but I can tell you what makes me happy right now. This is my happiness list (in no particular order);

Eating a bag of peanut m&m's all to myself
When Manchester United win
Reading a good book or watching one of my favourite TV programmes/films
Seeing my god-children and realising how grown up they get each time I see them
Sharing a smile with a stranger
Making a music playlist
Sitting in the sunshine
Seeing a beautiful rainbow
Having a good laugh - you know the ones that make your sides hurt!
Spending time with friends and family

Happiness can not really be described or calculated - it can only be felt, and experienced. Quotes like these can give us a clue

"Remember happiness doesn't depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think."
-- Dale Carnegie

"It is a sad thing to look at happiness only through another's eyes."
-- Marquerite Blessington

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
-- Gandhi

And, this one by Woody Allen:

"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose."

I believe the key to happiness is to stop pursuing it, to realise that happiness awaits...within yourself... in all of us.

It's about accepting yourself, your life, your situation, and enjoying all of these things without wishing for more.

It also means you accept your mistakes and have the desire to start all over again. Happiness is not perfection but learning to accept your own shortcomings. For as long as you believe in yourself, others will accept and believe in you. For as long as you know how to give love, love will be given back to you ten folds.

What is on your happiness list?

Laughter is the best medicine!

I got sent this today and thought it was perfect to put down in my blog, they say laughter really is the best medicine!

If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage will be almost instantly removed.

Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

Avoid arguments with the Mrs about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.

A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.

Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget all about the toothache.

Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are. You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and it does, use the duct tape.

Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.

Thoughts for the day:

If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You get another chance.

Be really nice to your family and friends; you never know when you might need them to empty your bedpan.

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. THEY ARE NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT, THEY STILL BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN YOU PUSH THEM DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS.

Tee Hee!

Sarah
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