Why Celebrations Matter

This year has been an amazing year for my family and me. I  am very grateful for all of the people who are now part of the IDSC, and the great work they are doing, which has enabled me to take a deep breath and regain a bit of my life back.


I sort of consider March 21, 2014, as the anniversary of the day I stepped away from my active working role at the IDSC, and into my role as the Founder of the IDSC. 

This March 21, 2015, I will be celebrating that anniversary. 

When ever you let go, and move on, from anything, there is a period of adjustment. 

This was no different. 

I spent a lot of months learning how to live a simple life again. 

Painting furniture, taking photography classes, connecting to old friends, visiting with my extended family, traveling, reading, and just plain old, uninterrupted, relaxing. 

It had been a long time since I was really able to do any of that. 

The day ME was born, was technically the day I started advocating. I went from her birth straight into the fire of advocacy when the good folks at my husband's job said they wanted to dedicate a golf tournament in ME's honor. The GSDSS was born, and it did not stop there. What I saw when I was forming the GSDSS rolled into what I wrote about, which then became the IDSC. 

So this year, I spent a lot of time being a mom to a beautiful girl who has Down syndrome, and for the first time in her 9 years of life, I was not part of an organization that was advocating for all people with Down syndrome. 

It was truly wonderful!

Initially, I did not know where to go, or what to do, with my new found time. 

But in time, I began to love every moment of my new life! 

So this March 21, I am celebrating my one year anniversary!

I have a lot of things planned to celebrate that day. Mostly privately, with just my little family. 

But one of the things that I thought it would be fun to do to celebrate with those who have followed me, is to re create this video I created years ago.


A lot of people still tell me they wished they could have held up a sign to tell the world what they would tell themselves. So why not do this again?  In a small version. 

This time, I too will have a sign. I actually did not get to add my own sign, because there was simply not enough room, and I had to fit everyone else in. I kept mine out, because their voices mattered, and I wanted them to know that, and not leave anyone out. 

But this time, I would like to get my voice in there too. 

I want to think hard and long on what my sign will say. 

This time, I actually have the time to think of my message. 

And that is a beautiful thing! 









*If you are interested in adding your photo to this project, send it my way at diane@dianegrover.me



This entry was posted on Monday, March 2, 2015. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

Leave a Reply