"To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61:3

The Burckhard Family

The Burckhard Family

Monday, May 2, 2011

A Dream Come True.....

Grace had her very first "friend" birthday party yesterday....and I cried!

But, these were tears of joy for a dream realized.

You see, Grace has never been invited to a "friend" birthday, nor has she had one of her own.

With her birthday approaching, Kevin and I talked about our hopes and dreams for Grace as she gets older. We both agreed that we hoped that she will have many friends, both with and without disabilities.

With this in mind, we contacted her regular ed teacher Miss McNally and asked her who would be good to invite to her party. Just a couple of girls; Miss McNally readily gave us the names of two girls who go out of their way to befriend Grace in the classroom, at recess, and during daily activities.

So, with some trepidation, we sent the two girls invitations to Graces big party to be held at our local SplashDown water park. The day before the party, we got RSVP's from both girls stating that they would be coming. In fact, one of the moms said that when her daughter got home from school, she was so excited to share that she was invited to Grace's party and that no matter what was going on this weekend, that this was one thing she was not going to miss!

Grace's party started at 4:00 yesterday. Many good friends of many ages & abilities showed up. BUT, the best part of the whole afternoon was watching three little friends go up and down the stairs a million times to go down the waterslides. There was no "Down syndrome", just friends who love Grace just the way she is!

Yes, I cried.

As we put Grace to bed last night, she kept repeating the same four words "party, presents, swimming, pizza....." We all went to bed last night thanking our heavenly father for his "Grace" in our lives.....

Love, Paula

7 comments:

  1. Awesome!!!! I remember when Jimmy had his 8th bday party at McDonalds and a Mom came up to me and told me her (typical) son had never gone to a birthday party because he was too scared. She said he was so excited about Jimmy's and couldn't wait to come. It was the first party he would go to. Isn't it wonderful how our children touch the hearts of everyone they meet?!!:)

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  2. And now I'm crying! How wonderful!

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  3. Oh! Paula I'm crying too! Happy Birthday Grace!! (I have a Grace too! she turns 21 on the 17th)

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  4. Paula, I'm all teary-eyed, too! What a great day for Grace :)

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  5. Oh boy! Now I need some tissues!! That is wonderful that Grace had a "Friend" birthday!

    "Party, presents, swimming, pizza!" I agree that sounds like great fun!!! :-)

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  6. Well, you made me cry too, as I imagine my own going through all of the same things. What a wonderful story!

    Stephanie Lynch

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