Yesterday was the 6th annual Buddy Walk for our local Down Syndrome group.  Perfect weather, great turnout, fantastic fundraiser.  Just one problem, our buddy wasn’t there.  While Rick and I donned matching T-shirts and took a leisurely stroll around the park with all the other teams, Josiah’s Joyful Jumpers were not so joyfully missing their favorite jumper.

Josiah has been in the hospital 5 weeks already.  I just learned they intend to keep him for 3-4 weeks more. He went in 3 days after school started and may not be home until Halloween. When you think of it like that, it really puts things into perspective. That’s a LONG time. It’s so incredibly hard to have him so far away from home. I do not like this one little bit.

I miss the sound of his trampoline squeaking at all hours of the day and night.  I miss his loud vocalizations. I miss seeing him in his favorite spot at the kitchen table, waiting, always waiting for food. It’s just not the same without him here.

We greatly missed having our buddy by our side. While large teams of supporters gathered around their buddies, Rick and I walked alone.

At the Buddy Walk, many of the kids with Down Syndrome were having a great time.  They were dancing to the music, riding on the train, hugging the animals in the petting zoo.  Had Josiah been with us, he most likely wouldn’t have wanted to do any of that stuff.  He has always identified more with the Autism community than the Down Syndrome one. We may have had some head banging or scratching. I can guarantee there would have been dropping to the ground with refusal to walk.  We may have had to pull out the fruit snacks to encourage him to engage in just about any of the activities. Except the eating part. Josiah excels at eating. He would have parked himself near the food table and enjoyed more than his fair share of donuts, cotton candy, chips and granola bars.

Next year I’m going to advocate for costumes. It would be such fun to see groups dressed in matching outfits. I’ve already started planning.  If you want to join us, let me know. We can wear some of these:

And, if that boy won’t walk, I’ll make a float to pull him along behind us.

We are graduating from Josiah’s Joyful Jumpers to Josiah’s Jungle. Makes sense.  Life around here is wild, mysterious and some days even, downright smelly.