Welcome to Holland

For those of you who have never read the following essay by Emily Perl Kingsley about having a child with special needs, I highly recommend checking it out.
www.journeyofhearts.org/kirstimd/holland.htm



Since I had Jack, many people have brought this essay to my attention, but I was first exposed to it four years ago when I was in my pediatrics course in nursing school. We spend nearly a week learning about Down Syndrome, and we watched an inspirational video about children with Downs which included this essay. I remember being so incredibly uplifted and moved by the essay that I immediately called my sister Kelly and said to her, "You know ... I think if I ever had a child with Down Syndrome, I would be okay with it." Kelly reminded me of this conversation when I was in the hospital, just having given birth to Jack. It's amazing how the world works, isn't it? And, thanks, Kelly, for reminding me of my own inner strength ...