Look carefully at this photo below taken several years ago at my sister’s house.
What do you see?
The first thing you’ll notice is my beautiful wife holding my adorable niece, Madison, who has Down Syndrome. Madison has a personality that will melt your heart. She’s passionate about her pink glasses and tech savvy with her Tablet. She’s healthy, full of spunk, and loves to play hide-and-seek with Uncle Patrick (me).
Here’s how hide-and-seek with Madison generally works: “No lights on yet,” she insists after two hours of stumbling around a dark house. I’m ready for a break, but I have to admit hide-and-seek is a blast in the dark, even in my forties. Hilariously, the girl is content to hide in the same place over and over (behind a chair in the living room). But I’ve gotten good at pretending I don’t know where she is. “Where are you, Madison?” I say, maneuvering through a pitch-black living room, trying not to step on Legos. I hear giggles from behind the chair as I approach, followed by snorting.
“What’s that sound?” I say. “Is there a pig behind the chair? How did a pig get into the house?”
The snorting gets louder. I jump behind the chair, but it’s not Madison. It’s her little sister, Reagan. A decoy!
Just as I’m turning around, someone bomb rushes me from behind.
“Gotcha,” Madison says, giving me a big hug around my waist and exploding into laughter.
Brilliant, I think. Absolutely brilliant.
The game continues for another hour and we have a blast together. Madison, her sister, and I. That’s what uncles are for.
However, there’s more to the story, once you take a closer look at the picture.
I’ll share more in the next post.
By: Patrick Skelton
