Humans of New York

Have you ever seen this Facebook page? It is truly amazing and a highlight of my day. It really makes you feel like you are not alone in your day to day struggles and that there are some amazing, unique, and wonderful people in our world. My faith in humanity is often restored after reading the owner's work. Basically - he stops people at random in NYC and does a short interview with them. Some of them have multiple parts of the story - the one I am about to share with you was one of those. 

This was the caption on a picture of a very ordinary looking businessman from NYC. 

“We’re all better people because Jackson is in our family. I’ve seen my other son choose his friends based on how they treated his brother. My daughter asked us if she could invite an entire special needs class to her tenth birthday party. My wife and I have become advocates and started charities. But we’ve all been tested too. Everyone is needy, and when you have a special needs child, it’s hard to give everyone the attention they deserve. I wish I could have given my other two children more parenting. And I wish my wife and I had more time to focus on each other. But sometimes we were too busy with Jackson. It could be like crisis mode all the time. I’d be fighting the school board. My wife would be up until 3 AM, every single night, watching videos of Jackson’s therapy, trying to decide what was working. In many ways, all of our worlds revolved around Jackson. And sometimes we didn’t have much left for each other.”

That alone touched me....and then I read one of the top comments underneath the picture. It was: 

"My little sister was born with Down Syndrome, and I completely understand this man's struggles and blessings. From the "older brother" perspective, I felt neglected at times, but as I matured I knew that it was for a good reason. My sister is an infinite well of overflowing love and my light in the dark because she was given a proper upbringing."

I was compelled to write this: 

That comment really struck a chord with me. My parents have said that they wished we hadn't needed to take a backseat so often in regards to my sister. I can honestly say that we wouldn't have had it any other way. My sister was also an infinite well of overflowing love and her hugs & smiles were definitely our lights in the dark. Our childhoods weren't easy, but I wouldn't trade a day. I know, without a doubt, that we are better people for having her in our lives. I love you, mom & dad.

I am only sharing this because of how much I could relate to this random person's statement. This is one of the instances when I felt that no matter what is going on in the world - there are people that are just like me and have the same struggles that I do. It is really humbling and brings you right back down to Earth. I don't know if I am really communicating this effectively. Hard to put those thoughts into words I guess. 

You are not alone - remember that!