The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 21 ,2 01 9 | 8 Let us delight in each other. What does that even mean? I want to believe in it. Does it mean to accept each other for our differ- ences? Can it mean to find happiness in the places we least expect? To search for joy, not only in its obvious forms, but from within the obscure and among the outliers, the outcasts? Is joy not a human condition that befalls us all, a state for which we each strive? Another consideration, when we speak of delight- ing in each other, are we re- ferring to the entirety of the human race, or only to a particular class, ability, gender, skin colour, or sub- group, or only to the people who look and act and think and feel like us? Who do you think you are? Wait a minute. Do we not all deserve to delight? Happiness, a smile, is uni- versal. I'm not one to ques- tion the gifts of the uni- verse or revel in its myster- ies. I've learned to accept the good when it comes. Even in the most unlikely of places. When I conceptualize delight, I think of the lines from Jack Gilbert's poem A Brief for the Defense. "We must risk delight. We can do without plea- sure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruth- less furnace of this world." Perhaps, if we were to chance happiness together, the task would not appear so daunting, so dark. I used to think of my daughter as a "risk." Hav- ing Down syndrome seemed like a risk - a situa- tion involving exposure to danger - to what or to whom, I wasn't entirely sure, but that's what I be- lieved when I was pregnant with my second child. My greatest fears material- ized, and I cursed the high heavens, I raged, and I pouted, and then I stopped caring. Whether I would admit it or not, I had been prepared to parent a typi- cal child, but I hadn't agreed to take on the risk of a child deemed less desir- able by society. Now I can look back and put words to what those fears were: raising a child with Down syndrome was a risk to my happiness, an un- intentional interference with my delight. Our baby deviated from my perfectly narrow plan. Down syn- drome fell outside the scope of the lens through which I viewed the trajectory of my life, and now images that should have appeared far off in the distance were right in front of me, magnified and grotesque, a distorted scene. I was staring into the root of my own ugliness, fac- ing down a shame of superi- ority. Who do you think you are? It's OK for someone else to have a baby with Down syndrome. But not us. Not me. But then I didn't have a choice, I wanted this baby that fluttered ethereal in- side me tethered to my heart. I wanted her, she was here, and I would risk delight. One person's risk is an- other one's happiness. Happiness in each other is stepping inside on a cold day, and seeing your child with Down syndrome help her little sister remove her boots. I delight in your kindness. Happiness in each other is celebrating the first words your child with Down syndrome reads in- dependently in a second language. I delight in your intelligence. Happiness in each other is a well-timed joke that sets your family off in a fit of laughter. I delight in LETTER TO THE EDITOR WE MUST RISK DELIGHT, SAYS MOTHER OF CHILD WITH DOWN SYNDROME Elyse, daughter of letter writer Adelle Purdham. Lisa Tullett photo See WITHOUT, page 10 Free No Hassle Quotes! Driveway, Patios, Curbs, Pool Decks, Garage & Bsmt Floor, Walkways, Resurfacing, Demolition/Excavation, Porch & stair Work, All types Of Retaining Walls & Grading We Also Do Hot tub? spa Pads, Garden shed Pad, Footings For Additions, Barn/metal Building Foundation For All of Your Concrete Needs. 647-525-5211 www.3boysconstruction.com JOB OPPORTUNITIES • TAXES • ACCOUNTING • TRAINING • CONSULTING • Central Parkway Mall (Burnhamthorpe @ Hurontario St) 905-949-2222 • Sheridan Centre (Erin Mills @ QEW) 905-855-7662 • Mavis Mall (Mavis @ Eglinton) 905-501-0052 • Meadowvale (Glein Erin @ Britannia Rd) 905-814-6666 • Westdale Mall (Dundas St W @ Erindale) 905-949-9559 • Hamilton 905-574-2700 • High Point Mall (Dixie @ Bloor) 905-282-0004 • Centennial Mall Brampton 905-451-6666 • Milton Laurier @ Ontario St 905-875-3726 • Georgetown Market Place 905-877-5884 Tax Courses Currently Hiring: Staff Accountant, Sr Tax Associates & Intern ? Ask the Experts FREE WWW.TAxWIDE.COM 905-949-2222 OPEN YEAR ROUND:Personal Tax Course $199+Tax Business & Corporation Tax Course $395+Tax • Serving Canadians for 20+ Years ASK THE PROFESSIONAL 33 Main Street South Acton, ON L7J 1X3 Tel: 519-853-1330 Fax: 519-853-4645 Email: Mark@mchlawyers.com Mark Hilliard Mackenzie Chapman Hilliard Barristers and Solicitors The advice offered in this column is intended for informational purposes only. Use of this column is not intended to replace or substitute any professional, financial, medical, legal, or other professional advice. We work for you. legal matters Q A REAL ESTATE LAW I want to provide money to my children so they can buy a home. What should I be concerned about? You need to be clear as to whether this money is a gift or a loan. The best way to do that is a written agreement. If it is a loan, then you would need either a promissory note signed by the child/ borrower, or, you can register your loan on title (ie: a mortgage). A mortgage does not have to include interest, and it can be registered with no expectation of payment until the property is sold. Often a registered mortgage is the best way to secure your interest. If the funds are a gift, and your child is married, a separation would likely result in a division of property.Your gift towards the matrimonial home would be accounted for in the calculation of net family property, and could result in your child's spouse leaving the marriage with funds that were intended for your child's benefit.