One evening last summer I went to a local diner to pick up dinner. When I walked in there was a young man at the counter who was cheerfully chatting away. I smiled at him right away, his smile was contagious. He had Down Syndrome. As I approached the counter I heard him telling the customers all about his fiance. He was telling anyone who would listen about how she was so special and how she didn't care that he liked to watch wrestling, she even watched it with him! He went on to say that they were getting married on Valentine's Day this year, the day of love. As I watched, I couldn't help but take part in his excitement. I thought to myself 'wow, this guy is really in love, happily sharing all of his joy and excitement about his relationship and upcoming wedding with everyone, he is head over heels for this lucky gal.' I thought about how my wedding was around the corner, he was clearly more excited about his than I was for mine. Then I thought of my daughters and how I could only hope that some day someone would love them as much as this gentleman with Down Syndrome loved his fiance. After I left the diner I called my sister to tell her about what I had just experienced. I couldn't stop smiling as tears ran down my face, what I had just witnessed was beautiful. As Valentine's Day approaches this year, this young couple is on my mind. He made a big impact on my life that afternoon and I thank him for showing me what real love looked like. It was pure, shameless, genuine, bold, something to be desired. It was awesome!
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