Twenty-One Years of Fire

My sweet, sweet Desiree turns 21 this week.

She is so excited.

She has been on a birthday countdown since Christmas.

Desiree is full of fire, perseverance, and tenacity.

Her life has not been easy.

She was born with an intellectual disability that has affected her development, social skills, and academic ability — creating challenges and limitations that most of us will never have to face.

She has also endured severe bullying since elementary school.

For years, she was deeply lonely and desperately wanted friends. It wasn’t until high school that some of those friendships began to form, and even then, the social and emotional challenges she lives with have made relationships rocky at times.

But what Desiree has always had —

in abundance — is perseverance.

Grit.

And big dreams for herself.

That determination led her to the University of Northern Colorado.

She could have stayed home.

Worked locally.

Built a quieter life close to family.

Instead, she packed up and moved halfway across the country to brave college life.

Her first year was especially hard.

Just a couple of months after she left home, her beloved cat Brady died.

Soon after, her grandpa lost his battle with cancer.

And then her aunt on her dad’s side died by suicide.

She navigated life away from home while carrying heavy grief and learning how to build a life on her own.

And she did it without the daily support of family nearby.

Now she is in her second year.

She has grown so much.

She’s building friendships, gaining confidence, and even talking with a friend about staying in Colorado over the summer to work there. She may or may not decide to do that — but the fact that she’s having those conversations makes me incredibly proud.

I am deeply proud of my sweet, silly, resilient daughter.

She refuses to let her limitations determine the quality of her life.

And watching her build that life — step by step, challenge by challenge — is one of the greatest honors of being her mom.