A co-worker of Dave's picked up our first week's order, and when I reached into the bag, I pulled out a bunch of carrots. The bunch on the right is what came from our CSA. Not so pretty, huh?
What you see on the left is what we bought a few weeks ago from the grocery store. Cleaner, bigger, and more of the carrot shape that I expected.
At first, I thought, Oh, these look gross. And I kind of just wanted to throw them away. Then I thought about it and remembered that the CSA website said the vegetables might look more dirty and that this isn't a big farm we're dealing with. And I remembered that these are supposed to be healthier than what we buy in the grocery store. My what we've been conditioned to accept because if I were ONLY dealing with looks, the one of the left is the one I would choose.
Thinking about these carrots and my reaction, I started thinking about Lily and other children with chromosomal disorders. We are so conditioned to wanting the perfect child. But it is through Lily's imperfections that I have been made a better person--stronger in my character, stronger in my faith, more compassionate, etc. She has made my soul healthier because I chose to take that risk and look deeper than the surface level of her disorder.
All of this seems so selfish to me sometimes, but Lily has reached out to others and she is truly one of the happiest little girls I know. She is sweet and determined, and she LOVES life! I cannot fathom someone trying to take that away from her.
I laughed at your description of the veggies. We have a peach tree and the first time we got fruit I was horrified at how weird it looked. But they were the best tasting peaches I ever had! I was sobered as I read the rest of your post. Our Lilly has changed us for the better too. Plus when we see other "imperfect" children in public, we see their inner beauty shining through. Really these children do seem to be happier than most "normal" children.
ReplyDeleteI love the analogy you've made!
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