Sophia is a beautiful little girl that was born to a loving family. Since she was born, they constantly catch people staring, and although it has become commonplace, it still hurts when it happens.
The stares happen because Sophia had Down Syndrome. Some people will ere on the side of politeness if they are curious but others will show their rudeness through their questions or just by watching the family closely. In one case, the mother was even asked if Sophia was adopted.
Pam was understandably upset when she learned about the disability but she quickly learned how beautiful and loving her daughter is. It is her hope that others will see her in the same way.
Then something happened at Tim Hortons coffee shop that changed everything.
People were staring as usual but then a special couple walked up to them. It was what the man did that prompted her to make this post to facebook.
“I sat in Tim Hortons with my daughter as I do often. Two ladies sitting near us started to stare and whisper. This is a pretty frequent occurrence for us you see; because my daughter Sophia was born with Down Syndrome.
I sat there and watched these two women crane their necks to get a better look at her; completely oblivious to the fact that I was staring right back. Today it bothered me. It really bothered me.”
“Just then, a couple approached me, and I thought, ‘Oh great! More people who want to take a closer look!”
“The man greeted Sophia with a high five and a handshake, and Sophia smiled and waved back. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, ‘I have a story I would really like to share with you. But I am afraid I wont get through it without choking up.’
I gently encouraged him to share, because now I was curious. This interaction was not what I was expecting.”
“He told me that he had watched the news last night. There was an interview of a mother who had recently given birth to a child with a major disability. She was on the news defending her decision to keep her baby. She was defending her choice NOT to terminate despite her doctors encouraging her to do so.
He said, ‘The point is, you never know a person’s impact on the world. You can never know what a person is able to do unless you give them a chance.’
He looked at me just before he turned to walk away and said, ‘You are a beautiful person. Your daughter is beautiful. Congratulations!”
“I immediately started to cry. There I sat in the middle of a coffee shop crying into a paper napkin. That man was the first complete stranger to ever congratulate me on the birth of my daughter Sophia. He was the first complete stranger to recognize her WORTH. Her VALUE. Her BEAUTY.”
“In a world where my daughter’s life is whispered about, where she is stared at, this man saw her IMPORTANCE.”
Via: Little Things
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