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A Happy Accident

posted Monday November 24th, 2014

photo-409

The sound of ceramic hitting Mexican tile was unmistakable. The only question: What broke?

I hauled myself off the couch to find Sophie in the kitchen doorway, a dish towel in hand, my favorite mug — sweetly shaped, with a pale pink floral pattern and an “a” to match Ray’s brown “r” version, so cute that I’d posted a photo on Instagram of our morning coffees side by side just the day before — in shards.

“It’s okay. But go put shoes on!” I ordered, shooing her away for safety. “Then come back and tell me what happened.”

As I gathered the broom and dust pan, I marveled at how seldom things break in our house. It’s more often an exuberant poodle than a kid with special needs. In fact, Sophie is the least clumsy person in the family, her fine motor skills diminished by Down syndrome but coaxed by years of therapy. She’s deliberate in her actions and rarely trips or spills, though at 11 she still requests her cranberry juice in a “to go cup with a lid” when we eat out.

Indeed, there was a good explanation. The cat was on the kitchen counter by the sink, Sophie explained. Sophie knows I hate it when the cat does that, so she tried to get Lulu down. (Sophie can often be spotted carrying the cat, Olivia the Pig-style, away from places where the cat’s not supposed to be.) The mug, set carefully on a dish towel to dry (too good for the dishwasher) was in the way, and slipped off the counter as Sophie grabbed the cat.

“Don’t worry about it!” I told Sophie, pulling her into a hug. “I’m just glad you are okay. Thank you for getting Lulu down.”

I was bummed, but we have other cups. I didn’t give it much thought. Not as much thought as Sophie did.

Last night, a few days after the incident, I was grabbing take-out for dinner when my phone rang. It was Sophie.

“If there’s a bag from As You Wish on the table when you get home you should open it,” she said, referring to the paint-your-own-pottery shop at the mall.

Sure enough, there it was — with “A” painted several times in bright red paint. Ray had gotten in on the act, too, making stripes on the other side.

“That’s the most beautiful mug I’ve ever seen!” I told both of them. It’s true, it is.

This morning, I’m sipping coffee out of my new mug — and contemplating an accident for Ray’s old coffee cup.

 

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Tags: Filed under: Down syndrome by Amysilverman

2 Responses to “A Happy Accident”

  1. You need to watch this little series onine from Conversations with my 2 Year Old. You’ll laugh when you see the connection to this story. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuzGwah1J6A&list=PL_AqsSD40RcBfhszTt-BJqyeW3PyDz1uU

  2. What a great accident!!!

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My Heart Can't Even Believe It: A Story of Science, Love, and Down Syndrome is available from Amazon and 
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