Buddy Walk 2009

We had a wonderful Buddy Walk! The weather was perfect- warm and sunny- and the group was so enthusiastic and energetic. We had 50 team members walk with us! We arrived early and blew up Justin's balloons and collected the rest of our team's t-shirts. The plaza quickly filled with people. Our shirts were blue, Justin's shirt (and others with DS) was red, and the volunteers wore yellow. The volunteers lined the path, cheering us on and waving signs. The path was a little different this year, but we still walked along the bayou and enjoyed a little of the beauty of downtown Houston. The DSAH met their goal for fundraising too, which was great! Some friends who I didn't know were going to come were my photographers, and they took over 100 pictures during the Walk! Here are some of my favorites, but I reserve the right to share more later.

There were some police officers at the end of the route giving out medals to all the kids. They were very nice medals. They have the Buddy Walk logo on the front and on the back they say "Things keep looking up! DSAH-2009". I heard today at church that one of the girls wore her medal the whole rest of the day!

I cannot express the blessing of friendship. Seeing the huge group that we had and knowing that each person loves Justin and our family humbles me. We walked across the back of the stage in the plaza where the whole 3,000+ people were gathered before the Walk and I was awed by the sea of blue peppered with red. It was one day that we could unite in our experiences with DS. No two are the same, but we could all say that we shared something unexpected that had become a unique blessing. It was a day to celebrate the differences and revel in our common bond. It wasn't a "walk" we would have chosen, but a walk we now embrace for our children, our friends, our family, our future. Each one of those red shirts is a special person, valuable and well-loved. It was a good day.