The Mae Series 2/9: Susie, Mom

(THE MAE SERIES 2/9: Susie, Mom)

We were getting ready to leave for school and I asked Mae to take her backpack and get in the car. She was focused on something more pressing. I asked again. And again. Until finally she perked up, lunged forward, extended her right arm in a pointer-finger-trigger stance, winked, and shouted “Don’t sass me, old lady!” I was stunned. “What did you say?” To which she replied, “You heard me. Don’t sass me, old lady!” I burst into laughter. She resumed her usual upright stance, threw me a wink, picked up her backpack, and walked out the door. As she exited, she threw a thumbs up into the air, never once turning around to see my reaction! She’s funny. Really funny. Her timing is on point. Her gestures, inflection, and ability to pick up sarcasm take me by surprise every time. She has a wit that is beyond her young years. I didn’t expect this when she was born. I didn’t expect to laugh with her as much as I do. I didn’t expect to delight in her sense of humor and be caught off guard by her perceptive comments and insightful observations. Experiencing Mae’s sense of humor and her ability to bring lightness to every situation is one of the great joys of my life. She reminds me to ease up, laugh, and be in the joy of the moment. Sometimes she’s being silly for my benefit. Other times she surprises and delights herself, bursting out in gales of laughter, adding to her silliness and sharing the fun of the moment with me. These are the moments that are woven into my heart. They are the moments when I pause with deep gratitude that she chose to share her life with me. She is completely, unapologetically her truest self in every moment. Declaring every day, “this is the best day ever!” She gives everyone around her permission to be their truest self, and to laugh along the way.

#TheLuckyFew #TheLuckyFewFoundation #DownSyndrome #ThisIsDownSyndrome