Whatever the Day Will Bring

Two days ago, my 8yo daughter with Down syndrome eloped.

Two days ago, my 8yo daughter with Down syndrome eloped. For the blessedly uninitiated, elopement in this sense means when a person, usually with special needs or a medical condition, decides to take a walk on their own. Without telling anyone.

This isn’t an uncommon scenario for many parents and caregivers. One minute, their child is playing on the floor with their puppets, the next minute it’s time to eat and no one knows where they are. In our case, realizing that a child is not in immediate sighting is like dropping a lightning rod into the middle of our average and sedate activities and blowing us into all directions calling out the name of our loved one.

So I found myself scouring the backyard, skirting the woodlands and doubting she would even dare to venture within. I was grateful for my son’s earlier careful clearing of the edges, as my eyes easily skimmed the forest floors. I could hear the plaintive calls of us all, the dog barking, the minutes of the clock ticking like thun…