Down's Syndrome Awareness Month

I meant to post this in October which is Down's Syndrome Awareness Month. But "better late than never!"

Photo Credit: Maren

Aunt Dorothy was a gift to our family as well as to countless others who knew and loved her. Dorothy never spoke more than a few words in all her life, but music was always a communication point between us. 

Dorothy loved harmony - sparkling and voicing her joy when my sisters and I split into harmony from unison singing. Dorothy disliked dissonance - getting predictably agitated and loud when around unsettling music such as the 20th century pieces I practiced during college days. 

Dorothy loved to dance with music. We could just start humming a tune, grab her hands, and go. Even singing hymns at church would get her grooving!

Even in her last week of life she lay in her wheelchair by my piano soaking up music. When nearly unresponsive in her last day on earth, the voice of the Hospice chaplain singing a hymn brought a slight acknowledgement. My sisters and I sang to her again as we all gathered around in her last hour, and our brother-in-law led us in the Doxology as Dorothy entered heaven, where she now has the joy of taking part in the best music ever - praising her Savior!

A video I just posted on YouTube (click here to view) shows one of the times Dorothy took an active part in music. Even in her 50's, she loved sitting in my lap at the piano and "riding" my hands while I played. But here you can hear her one-note rhythm inspiring an improvised duet.

For more glimpses into her life, see this earlier blog post.