I enjoyed your story on the ceilings we put on people. I have four children. Vanessa is finishing up her graduate work at the University of Texas Southwestern, Alexandra is a Senior at Stephen F. Austin and Andrew is a Junior at Texas State. My youngest is Juliet who is 15 and in junior high. Juliet has Down’s Syndrome. When she was born my expectation was that we would care for her the rest of her life and we would strive to give her a quality life. I had little expectations of her contribution to the family, other than we would always be there for her. Juliet had other plans. From the time she was a few months old we went to therapy with her to improve her muscle tone and work on her speech skills. She knowcked down one obstacle after another. She learned sign language until her speaking skills kicked in and there was no stopping her. Everywhere we go she introduces herself to strangers and introduces us as her mom and dad. She gives our new friends a brief family history and cements her friendship with additional converstion and a hug. It is amazing the response she gets from folks. She takes charge and brings out the best in people. Her unconditional love is what I have learned to appreciate from her and to practice myself so I can be a better person. She too “blasted through the glass ceiling” we had imagined for her. She continues to grow and surprise us. More importantly she continues to teach us that the human spirit lives in everyone. Allowing that spirit to grow makes an impact on all of us it touches.