So we\u2019ve come to the end of our annual Guest Writer Series, and our final post features a young man who asked to again join us and share his thoughts. It was he who came up with the topic, the title, and he asked me to interview him, recording his answers to the questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meet my son, Josh, a 21 year old, articulate and talented young man\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Josh, how would you describe yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know me. Isn\u2019t\u2019 it obvious? I\u2019m chill, cool\u2026 I like being the life of the party. I like hip hop, fun stuff like parties\u2026 I like to play cards\u2026 sports \u2014 but no baseball, tennis or soccer. I like to play video games, especially GTA, WWE and 2K NBA 2023.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anything else our readers should know about you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah. Some of you don\u2019t know I have Down syndrome and what Downs means. It means when someone\u2019s really special, they get diagnosed with having a specific gift that God has for them. Having Down syndrome, it can be hard sometimes. But I know my Father has good plans for me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t want to offend anyone. I\u2019m sorry if I do. I care about your opinion. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But the main thing here today is that it\u2019s ok to have Downs. It\u2019s ok to be different.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What does it mean to you to be different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing different is hard to know. It\u2019s like twins; you can\u2019t tell them apart. So you can\u2019t always tell that you\u2019re different. Some people can\u2019t tell that people who have Downs are different.\u201d Do you feel different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n How?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just came with a special heart. I know God created me this way and He doesn\u2019t make mistakes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you think the rest of the world understands that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think we don\u2019t always get?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat God\u2019s real and that He can bless the different.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you feel blessed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. I have great gifts, like being active, having a job with dogs \u2014 that\u2019s been new for me. I have a great family. I care about my family. And I\u2019ve got some really good friends (a shout out to Karen and Mark, Birthday Buddy, Steve and Barbara and my bros).\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you think each of us is blessed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, although some things that happen to us are bad.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What helps you when experience things that are bad?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI listen to music. It calms me down. It cools down my vibe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI talk to God. I listen to opinions from my homies as to how God can change things, change lives, and make things better.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever talked to God about being different? If so, what did He say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe said \u2018I know it\u2019s hard to be different, Josh, but you can always come to me. You\u2019re my child, and you are a special person \u2014 a special person who\u2019s really a masterpiece.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If anyone doesn\u2019t feel like a masterpiece, they\u2019re really missing out on how God feels about them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n How does it feel to be a masterpiece?<\/p>\n\n\n\n [He immediately grins from ear to ear\u2026] \u201cIt\u2019s better than good. It\u2019s even better than amazing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks, Josh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR for Josh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So we\u2019ve come to the end of our annual Guest Writer Series, and our final post features a young man who asked to again join us and share his thoughts. It was he who came up with the topic, the title, and he asked me to interview him, recording his answers to the questions. Meet … <\/p>\n
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