Best Friend

Best Friend.

BFF.

Mejore Amigo. (Spanish)

Meilleurs amis. (French)

Miglior Amico. (Italian)

By the way, I have no idea how to pronounce those last two....but all these translate to "Best Friend."

Today, I took all the kids to visit David's family.  First, we visited the Planetarium and watched a presentation called "The Little Star that Could."  Let me tell you, I wasn't exactly a science whiz when I was a kid, and I'm pretty sure I learned more about our solar system today than I did throughout my entire education.  (But that's because I only paid enough attention to get by and pass the tests!)  Sam loved the planetarium and watched the globe above us like it was the coolest thing he's ever seen - wait, it probably was the coolest thing he's ever seen...

Anyway, following the planetarium, we went back to David's house for a yummy dinner and visiting.  The kids played board games and chased each other around the back yard.  Sam and David had their first fight - Sam pulled David's hair, and to get revenge, David stole Sam's sock.  I told you these kids are more like other kids than not.

David's family - they are our friends, and we are blessed that our paths crossed.

After our visit, we went shopping - and not just a quick trip to Walmart like usual.  I'm talking the girls actually found their wallets, made Kevin and I pay up on their chores money and we went SHOPPING!  I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking when I drug four kids into the mall.  We had two stops - Claire's for some new earrings for the girls and Bath and Body Works for all of us girls.  Sam was a trooper, he didn't even complain when we were trying the newest scent of shimmer body spray and he ended up with glitter all over his head.

While we were sniffing every flavor in the store, a young woman approached me, reached for Sam's hand and asked me what his name was.

"Sam" I said.

"How old is he?" she asked.

"He's almost seven months"

Next, she smiled, and in the most genuinely-full-of-love way, she added "my sister has Down syndrome, and she is my best friend."

She didn't just say - she's cool, or she's neat, or I love her - she said she is my BEST FRIEND.

Do you know what it takes to be a best friend?  What an honor for that woman's sister, or maybe the honor is for the woman who spoke to me.  To claim someone as their best friend, they are indicating they love this person so much it hurts sometimes and they would do just about anything for their happiness.  To claim someone as their best friend is to say the friendship is the most important friendship they have.  To claim someone as their best friend means they fully trust, fully believe in and fully accept someone just as they are, with no exceptions.

Someday, I pray, someone somewhere will tell me that Sam is their best friend.  I will be bursting with pride.  Will it be Ella?  Marie?  Grace?  Does it even matter who it is?  I hope for Sam, that we'll raise him and he'll grow up to be an honest, loving, trustworthy, openminded, faithful and caring person, someone that people want to claim as their best friend.  That's the job we take on with all our children I believe.  But after hearing the woman in Bath and Body Works today saying that her sister with Down syndrome is her best friend, and just the way she said it - I have to believe the bond between Sam and his friends will be extra special.