In the middle of the red desert in Southern Utah is a tiny Gypsum mine where my kids like to explore and dig for the pure white minerals.
Three years ago, on Good Friday, I visited this mine for the first time when my family and extended family spent Easter weekend together. I was 12 weeks pregnant with my third child and expecting the results of a prenatal screening test.
Just as we arrived at our adventure spot, my doctor called; we were having a boy with Trisomy 21. My husband and I felt overwhelmed with grief and shock, but in many ways we both were expecting this news. We’d been prepared our entire lives for Bennett to be our son because he is a key part of a higher plan for our family.
“Sort of knowing” didn’t exactly soften the blow of the diagnosis. We hugged, cried, and prayed with our family on the side of a dirt road, then continued to the mine with loved ones by our sides.
We tried to keep our emotions in check and gain acceptance one day at a time, knowing that someday we’d regret any negative emotions about the diagnosis.
Sure enough, Benny is our family’s little shinning star and we don’t know what we were ever upset about. We love our little guy! His strength and resilience inspires all and his spirit brings calm and peace to each of us. His diagnosis actually brings our family blessings and happiness.
We often visit the Gypsum mine with Benny. It reminds us how the most beautiful things in the world, like the pure white Gypsum, can come from unexpected places.