My sister Kate was asked to contribute a photo and inspirational story for a new magazine, Serendipity. She chose to write about Penny, and I asked her if I could reprint the photo and story here. Thanks, Kate!

I took this photo of my Brother-in-Law and my niece Penny three years ago, on a family vacation in St. John.  I love this photo because I see a father sharing a moment with his daughter, encouraging her to take risks, to nurture a sense of adventure, to celebrate with laughter, to live a life any one of us would wish for our children.  

What is remarkable is that when Penny was born with Down Syndrome, her doctors recited a long list of limitations that Penny would face and explained that her quality of life would likely not measure up to that of a typical child. Thankfully, Penny’s parents had great faith in her abilities and refused to raise Penny any differently than they would have had she not been born with special needs. Penny is four-and-a-half-years old now, and the canvas of her childhood has been painted with moments like these, moments filled with joy and meaning.  Penny, and her parents, inspire me.