"God doesn't make mistakes": father loses his wife but finds the strength to raise his daughter with Down Syndrome on his own

Life can be extremely unfair sometimes. Certain people, however, believe that the obstacles that life throws at us are merely part of God's divine plan. Although we can't see it in the moment, he uses our suffering for good. Take Rory Feek, for example. Rory is an American country singer-songwriter that has been through a lot in the past 5-6 years. In 2014, he and his wife gave birth to a daughter with Down Syndrome. Within the span of a year, his wife, Joey, was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly after. Joey's passing was hard on Rory for several reasons. Losing the person he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with meant that he also had to raise his daughter alone. That didn't stop Rory from seeing the good that could come from his situation, though. 

via Medium

It's certainly not fair losing your wife after having a child together only a couple years ago, but Rory did his best to raise little Indiana on his own. He admits that in the beginning, he was terrified. He had read so many books that had claimed raising a child with Down Syndrome was nothing like raising other children; it was much harder. Over and over Rory read the same message, that he had to "lower his expectations." He didn't let that stop him from believing that Indiana was capable of having a normal life. As Indiana grew, he realized that those books were wrong. She was just as intelligent and loving as other 4-year-olds her age and, a part from a few differences, she could do just about anything a normal child could do. She may have eyes that are a little more squinty and she might not be able to walk up and down the stairs as fast, but Indiana is a very active child and leads a normal life. 

Rory also explained that he's learned another valuable lesson while raising his duaghter alone: he doesn't feel like he's the father of a child with a disability because Down Syndrome is not a disability. Society has conditioned us to feel sorry for parents who have Down Syndrome because they are seen as a "burden" instead of something parents could love or cherish. This idea, however, is completely wrong and unacceptible. According to Rory, God doesn't make mistakes and, being different doesn't mean that you are less vauable or loveable than other people. Although Indiana has Down Syndrome doesn't mean her life is less significant; she has dreams and feelings just like everyone else. 

In fact, Indiana means the whole world to Rory. She's the reason why he wakes up smiling everyday. If it weren't for Indiana, he'd still be mourning the loss of his wife and probably never would've been able to get over it. To Rory, Indiana is a gift sent from God, one that reminds him of all the wonderful years he had with his wife before she passed away. Indiana is also a gift that keeps on giving, and Rory can't wait kind of woman she grows up to be.