Apparently there are two Gabby Douglas’s. There is the one we all know from the Olympics, and then the more famous one (in her own circle) is my Gabby Douglas, the one who has Down Syndrome.

There are so many reasons why each of these young women is special. They are both hard workers. They each have to handle comments from people who don’t even know them, they are strong minded and have the ability to get on with what they need to, against the odds sometimes. These are some of the qualities that each of these young women have to possess on a daily basis. One of the many things that I admire about my own Gabby Douglas is her ability to have these qualities and carry herself with ease, and there’s a lot we can learn from somebody like her.

Gabrielle has the ability to forgive herself and move on from any situation. She never feels guilty after the fact, she might be upset at the time, that she’s hurt your feelings or that she has misbehaved in some way, but immediately after apologizing, it’s done. She knows you’ve forgiven her and she has forgiven herself and she’s not going to dwell on the situation. I wonder how hard it is for Gabby Douglas the Olympian to do the same thing.

When we watched the Olympics Gabrielle was very excited to see her namesake participating in events. Every time we would see her on TV she would say “look there I am, we’re twins right?” She thinks they’re twins because they share a name. I’d love more people to look at the world through Gabby Douglas’s eyes, where color is of no matter, looks aren’t an issue, economics are not a factor. She sees the qualities of people. She sees twins, because this girl has the same name as herself.

There’s a lot to learn from both of these young ladies and not enough words to convey. My child has a disability according to the rest of the world. She doesn’t see that she has a disability. She knows that she has Down Syndrome. But Gabrielle sees everybody through nonjudgmental eyes and with a nonjudgmental heart. I think that Gabby Douglas the Olympian has been on the receiving end of people who don’t see things the way her counterpart sees them. I’d love them to meet, and I would love Gabby Douglas the Olympian to be exposed to the type of person who does not judge anybody else for anything other than their heart. I’d like her to spend time with a young lady who thinks that she has a twin purely because they share a name.

Proudly, Gabby Douglas’s mother, Michelle.