In the church that I attend down here I have made several acquaintances and a few friends in the past few years. Of these people my girlfriend, her family, and me spend quite a bit of time with one family in particular. Their family consists of Salvador and Claudia, he's in his early 50's she's in her mid 40's; their two sons, Jesus who is 19 and Cesar who is 17; and Luli, Salvador's sister. I spend most of my time chatting with Salvador on the various topics of life such as work and faith.
His sister Luli however is a very special friend of mine who just so happens to have Down Syndrome. She turned 44 a couple of weeks back which is quite the milestone for someone with Down in Mexico. Of most people I've met in the world she has the most positive go-getter attitude I've seen in a long time. Always friendly and joking, she never misses the opportunity to make someone laugh or if they're feeling sad, she'll do her best to make them happy. She always greets everyone with a kiss on the cheek and no matter if she saw you two days ago or two months ago she always wants to know every detail of what you've been up to.
On Monday we celebrated her 44th birthday with some nachos and cake. We were greeted at the door by Luli and we immediately handed her a present, she was so excited it was like every gift she got that night could have been a million bucks. Thanking everyone profusely for their gift and detailing exactly how she was going to use it. The cake was delicious. it was a banana carrot cake, with a whipped topping that was the lightest and fluffiest I've ever tasted, almost like tasting a cloud with a sweet, sugary, and vanilla filled taste. After much pestering of Claudia, Luli's sister in-law, she forked over the whipped cream topping recipe so I can share it with you guys.
More or less thinking out loud, with someone like Luli, someone with Down Syndrome, do we sit back and take pity on them, avoid them, or do we take the time to realize that even though they are different than ourselves, they are real people with real feelings that can be some of the coolest people you meet.
Whipped cream topping recipe (note: this recipe is measured by weight):
500 grams heavy whipping cream
150 grams powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Put whipping cream in large mixing bowl. Mix on Low slowly adding the powdered sugar, add vanilla. Turn speed on mixer up to high. Keep an eye on it and when it becomes firm and starts to hold its shape turn it off, or it will become butter.
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