Kathryn Soper: She Writes in Beauty

Are any of you familiar with Kathryn Lynard Soper of Segullah fame? Last night, I inhaled an entire book by this woman at one sitting, and it went down smooooth (like buttah). Her message spoke to my heart, but her words sang to my heart in an arrangement worthy of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Imbuing simple language with complex meaning, the pauses and spaces between words became as much a part of their impact as the sentences and syllables themselves. Sailing on a sea of inflection and rhythm, I was carried through a seemingly daunting tangle of trouble and raw emotion. Yet reading her book felt peaceful, like taking the first careful steps through newly fallen snow, not wanting to disturb the beauty. Oh, yes, her gift is a lovely one.

And I haven't even talked about content yet. The book is called "The Year My Son and I Were Born," and it details the first twelve months of her premature son's life. Born with Trisomy 21 and nearly succumbing to sepsis in the NICU, the child gets a rough start, to say the least. Boldly, Ms. Soper shines a light on her emotional journey through this unexpected challenge, sparing no detail to shield herself from the glare, applying no magnifying glass to enhance the glow. Her story just is. Is honest. Is real. Is accepting. Is uplifting. Is remarkable. Is worthy of your attention.

Do yourself a favor, and read it soon. (Or fall into it, like I did.) You don't need to have a son with Down Syndrome to be mentored and altered by it. You only need to be human.