She'll Never....

I have a confession.  When I got Ellie's Down syndrome diagnosis, I thought a lot of, "She'll never..."

She might never drive. (So what?  We live in an urban area with public transit.)
She'll never be a doctor. (Um, neither will I.)
She'll never be a model. (Um, neither will I.)

About that last one.

Ellie was on the local Down syndrome calendar as an infant and is on the cover of a book about speech and language for kids with Down syndrome.

And now, she's modeling for The Crazy Kukla Boutique.  I don't really care if Ellie is a model.  But I care that a "never" was replaced by a "why not?"

Ellie's value isn't in modeling or looking cute or driving or talking or being a doctor.  Ellie's value is in being a human.  Ellie's value is in loving people and being loved.  But sometimes, it's really nice to remember the "nevers" and realize those were a list of my fears, not a list of real restrictions.