The Goodwins » Bonnie

Pete the Purple Pumpkin

Bonnie — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:17:45 +0000

This story was written by a 12 year old girl in honor of her brother Toby, who has Down syndrome. It touched me as a wonderful expression of wisdom & love, that I pray we can all live by. I am posting it here with permission from Gillian Marchenko’s blog Pocket Lint , & her friend Suzanne McDonald.

Pete the Purple Pumpkin
By EmmaLee McDonald

(Dedicated to EmmaLee’s little pumpkin Toby, who happens to have Down syndrome)

There once was this purple pumpkin named Pete. Unlike any other pumpkin, Pete was purple. Every fall he hoped he would get picked. But every fall he didn’t get picked, he wondered why. He thought, “Sure I might be purple, but you can still carve me and eat my seeds.” The only thing different was his outside. People would look at him and then laugh. Every pumpkin thought that Pete was the kindest, sweetest pumpkin ever! They also wondered why Pete wasn’t getting picked. Now, Pete was getting older and the farmers said that if Pete didn’t get picked this fall, he would have to be thrown away. Pete didn’t want this to happen, so he hoped this fall would be different. Two days went passed and people only looked at him and laughed. Then, the next day, a little girl with a pink tutu and a tiara looked at Pete and said “I want this one.” Pete was so overjoyed. This girl loved Pete the most. Once this girl carved him, she placed him on her porch. That evening, she saw all of the neighbors on her lawn. Hoping they weren’t making fun of Pete, she ran out. Then, she realized what they were all staring at. It was a light brighter than any she had ever seen, shining from within Pete, without even one candle. It was a light that shown from within. Then, people came from far and wide to see this bright, little pumpkin. Just imagine what the world would have missed if Pete were simply thrown away. Even though people may look different on the outside, true beauty comes from within.

Big thanks to EmmaLee for sharing her story

(EmmaLee is twelve years old. Amazing, huh?)

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God’s Gift

Bonnie — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:27:45 +0000

Sharing this from a blog post by a good friend….. I think that she got it just right!

God’s Gifts

While on the beach talking to Rich, my husband, he mentioned a great idea for a blog. It sounded insightful and challenging and much better than the VBS rabbit trail I was making, so with the help of my better half this is what he observed.

Last week, on one of Rich’s many journeys to the beach, he observed a dad playing with his about 12 yr. old son. This son had Downs Syndrome. The two were laughing and having a wonderful time together. His first thought was, “what a struggle for that family.” After scanning the beach he also noticed other dads with their sons. Many of those dads were deeply focused reading their book or magazine or in their own thoughts, vaguely aware of what their child was doing. They were self-focused and didn’t look so happy.

In contrast, one dad was given an unexpected gift, Downs syndrome, and the rest of the dads were given an expected gift, a child without handicaps. But why was there such a huge difference in the two situations? If you take the gifts God has given all of us and make the most of what you can with that gift, you will have times of laughter and true happiness.

To look how this could be applied in another way, listen to this true life example: There was an older gentleman who visits his wife in a nursing home every day. Not so strange you may say ,except for the fact that she has Alzheimer’s and no longer knows his name or who he is. He considers himself very blessed compared to other men because many have had to bury their wives and he still has her here on earth.

Here’s our challenge: make the most of the gifts God has given us, expected gifts or not expected gifts. Seize each day with anticipation and make the most with the gifts he’s given us.

Posted by Jan Brandt on Jul 20, 2010 at 8:24 AM

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Loving the Girl in the Pink Hat

Bonnie — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:27:36 +0000

We were recently on vacation in Florida and my mom commented on how cute the girl in the pink hat was… that girl is our daughter Ella. And she is very cute, even without her pink hat.

Ella is in hats a lot to protect her many scars from the sun, and she shines underneath them all. She is a beautiful little girl and even in her “I’m almost 4 and I can do it myself attitude” we find so much to love. She is the light of our life (along with little brother Justice) and we have learned so much from her. But it isn’t her Down syndrome that is teaching us, it is Ella herself and her personality. I don’t know if taking away her Down Syndrome would change who she is or not, but as her mom I would never be willing to find out even if I could. I love her everyday just as she is.

Before Ella I loved. I loved her dad, I loved my family, I loved living a life full of travel and adventure, I loved chocolate, I loved my life… but I didn’t know how deep the love of a child would be. And I never thought about if I could ever love someone with Down syndrome – it simply never crossed my mind. And then Ella was born and my heart was hers in an instant. The first year was a struggle of emotions and grief over the loss of what we thought our plans for her future would be, but we prevailed in love. The next several years were filled with struggles from surgeries and medical procedures but we prevailed in love. And now as all our known struggles are behind us and we watch in awe as Ella discovers a whole new world in school, we continue to prevail in love. Our hearts are overflowing!

But what I know, and what I want everyone to learn is that Ella is Ella. She is not a girl with Down syndrome who happens to be our daughter, or a teacher’s student, or a child’s friend. I pray that Ella will be accepted into our world for just the person God has made her to be; that she will find her place in life and be happy and fulfilled. It’s the same prayer I imagine all parents have for all children. When I look into her future I am afraid for all of the unknowns that lay ahead but in truth, most days I forget that she has Down syndrome as it is so easy just to enjoy who she is. She laughs and giggles and cries. She dances and runs and walks. She smiles and pouts and cheers. She is simply Ella, our amazing little girl.

Ahead I know there are more struggles waiting to find us and her, but today everything is perfect and just as it should be. God has given us the gift of love in both our children and that will always be more than enough for us.

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Tags: Brother, Down syndrome, Ella, Justice, Prayers, The Goodwins

A Beautiful Fall

Bonnie — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:01:07 +0000

Last weekend our little family spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon playing in the beautiful fall weather. (ie yard work for dad)

We enjoyed the warm sunshine and the rustling of leaves for hours on end. Maybe dad could have worked faster if the kids and I hadn’t offered to help so much, but who could resist that sweet little girl dragging a full size rake around the yard. You just have to hug a girl like that!

It’s amazing how a simple day can bring the best pleasures. A joyful smile on a bright eyed boy who is experiencing his first fall fills your heart faster than you could imagine it might. It’s a wonderful world in which we live.

And can anyone find a better way to make a kid smile than with a giant pile of leaves? I mean really who else but a child would dive head first into a bunch of dead leaves, sticks, bugs, etc without even a second thought for anything but fun!

So, here’s hoping for a lot more beautiful days to frolic this fall.

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Homeward Bound

Bonnie — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:55:25 +0000

Just waiting for Kirk to bring the car around and then we’re gone!

Tags: Ella, Nevus, Prayer Request, Surgery

Almost Ready to Go

Bonnie — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:11:34 +0000

Ella had a pretty good night in the hospital but is still tired and cranky. She’s had some juice and cheerios but is otherwise against food so hopefully we can get a good meal when we get home. We are just waiting on her meds to be ready at the pharmacy and then we can head out.

Tags: Ella, Nevus, Prayer Request, Surgery

No More Nevus

Bonnie — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:57:42 +0000

The doc told us that they took all the remaining nevus from Ella’s scalp during surgery so I must admit that the giant bubbles were worth the trouble. He said that she will have a nice hairline, that her brows are looking symetrical and that eventually the visible scaring will be minimal… She will come back in two weeks to the have the rear sutures out.

Justice and I are waiting for Kirk and Ella In her room – it’s I’m the same recovery area as many other patients but we scored real walls and a door so maybe she and I might actually get a little sleep tonight.

Thanks for the love and prayers!

Tags: Ella, Expander, Nevus, Prayer Request, Surgery

The Goodwins » Bonnie

Pete the Purple Pumpkin

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