This is a favorite old post of mine, written in 2019, about my grandson, Conner. Conner was born in 2015 with two holes in his heart. When he was less than two months old he went to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville for surgery. I wrote a post asking for prayers for Conner, and he became a Treehouse favorite. For the first several years we often got comments or emails asking how Conner was doing.

He is six now, thriving, well, mean as a snake, and autistic. He has many challenges to face, but he is a fighter with an indomitable spirit. Sometimes, okay often, that fighting spirit makes things pretty interesting with him, but he is precious and loved. We think that God gave our family very special and wonderful gifts in Conner, and Mason, his older brother who is also autistic.

As I said, this post is one of my favorites of all the ones I’ve written, but that isn’t why I want to share it again. Memories of our best times, our favorite gifts, the look in the eye of someone we’ve shared a special gift with, something of a heart exchange, those moments live on in us and continue to bear fruit. We need to make those moments, now more than ever. They aren’t just memories we can treasure, they are foundational to our well being, building blocks to lives, families and society, crucial moments that cement us together and give hope and joy.

Be sure to give yourself and those you care about those moments. It matters, more than you can appreciate in the moment.

So, I’ll copy the story here, and it was written when Conner was four. I have edited out mistakes, but otherwise left it as it was originally written. And yes, the fall pumpkin trip has become an annual outing for the two of us.In years past I’ve done posts on favorite Christmas gifts, especially those from our childhood, and I will post that later, but this year I have something a little different to talk about as well.

Sometimes we are blessed, in large ways or small, as is the story behind the Christmas Pumpkin, to do something special for someone. Often something that brings with it a smile and joy to the recipient of your gift, but is an occasion of grace and joy to you as well. Aren’t those the very best Christmas gifts, ones that stay in our memories forever, and pay dividends for all the years to come?

If you guys have been hanging out here at the Tree for more than four years, you remember my grandson Conner. He was born with two holes in his heart, and many of you said prayers for him and his family when he had surgery at Vanderbilt. We still get comments and emails from people who ask for Conner updates!


He turned four this summer, and he is an active and adventurous little scamp with the smile of an angel and often the mischievousness of a little devil.

Conner and his older brother are Autistic. Many people with autism develop an interest in very specific things, and they can become very knowledgeable about them, and they are often passionate about these things.

Our older grandson Mason loves trains and penguins. At six years old, he can astound you with conversation about trains, both steam and diesel, and he knows many facts about specific trains. He also loves penguins, and for several years now he has been able to educate us with some truly unusual facts.

FonyaI certainly never knew there were penguins in Peru! He has two beloved stuffed penguins that take turns going almost everywhere he goes, Waddles, and little Fonya. This year Fonya went along to see Santa.

Conner’s great love is pumpkins, all year round. He loves every single pumpkin, big or small, real or artificial. A few months ago he told me that all pumpkins are his, every one of them. So, if you had a pumpkin on your porch or decorating your Thanksgiving table, say a prayer of gratitude that Conner let you borrow it.

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year, and the last two years I’ve had a new reason to love it. Last fall Conner had only been in school for a few months, and he was mostly still non verbal then. His inability to communicate, along with the many issues associated with autism, sensory issues especially, made life very difficult for him, and it was not usually a good idea to take him out in public.

However, he had just found pumpkins, and his enthusiasm captivated me. So, I bought him a pumpkin, a real one, at the grocery store. His love for it, and desire to take it everywhere he went, and even to sleep with it, made me think he needed an artificial one to play with. I took him to Hobby Lobby because I wanted him to experience the wall of pumpkins in the front of the store, and the aisles full of all sizes and colors of pumpkins. He wasn’t too sure about the store at first, and I still remember his little thin (at that time he wasn’t eating well) body trembling.

Oh, but he loved those pumpkins and it isn’t an exaggeration at all to tell you that he carefully looked at each offering before he chose his pumpkin. There were a few aisles of Christmas decor, of course, so I thought maybe he would be interested in a Santa or a small tree, and I just wanted to get him things he would love.

He seemed to think that he had to choose one thing, even though I kept reassuring him that he could pick another present or two. He adamantly shook his head and refused my every suggestion, but finally reached his little hand toward an old pickup truck with two blocks in the bed that had numbers on each surface. It was a little Advent calendar.

He snatched his hand back before he touched it, but I bought it for him anyhow. It’s now a part of his family’s Christmas decor, but it never got to pumpkin status in his love.

This year when I took him to Hobby Lobby he was a different little boy. In his second year of attending a wonderful school where he has learned so many things, including language skills, he’s able to express himself like any other excited four year old, and many things have changed for Conner.

He wanted each and every pumpkin, and tried to put dozens in the buggy. As I said, he considered all of them his, and just wanted to bring them home.

After a lot of haggling and laughter, I finally negotiated the purchase of three pumpkins. I told him he could have any three small, medium, and large pumpkins that he wanted. He put a lot of thought and exploration into his choices, and in the end, it was quite clear that each one was chosen to meet mostly sensory pleasures.

The largest was a regular orange pumpkin that looked very real. The next was a velvet pumpkin, brightly colored and so soft and wonderful to stroke. The little one was a different color, and one he could easily carry around with him. He insisted on taking them all with him to therapy appointments, and he would arrange them in a display on the tables or shelves.

A few weeks ago he began to ask for a Christmas pumpkin. Of course, pumpkins are long gone from roadside stands and even Hobby Lobby. And who has ever heard of Christmas pumpkins? Conner is nothing if not persistent, and he kept asking.

So, I ordered a white pumpkin and went searching for some Christmas decorations I could stick on it. This is what I came up with, and it won’t win any art awards or set any decor trends. But the bright colors and flashy stars are right down his alley, and his smile was absolutely ample reward for the little bit of trouble it was to make what is our first Christmas pumpkin.
I hope you have stories to tell of your own best moments of gift giving, or of being the recipient of a special or unusual gift, given with all the love that comes from such an occasion.

This year my favorite present is a Christmas pumpkin and a beautiful smile.

 

 

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