Stacey and Darren Gagnon are wonderful people who are committed to engaging in the notion that love branches out to as many children, and people as a whole, as your heart allows you to be open to.
The Gagnons are equally as convicted in showing that kindness needs to be enriched in day-to-day life through lessons learned and the encouragement of involvement.
The couple have previously fostered more than 20 other children and is in the process of welcoming a 2-year-old Bulgarian daughter with special needs into their family.
Furthermore, the family has welcomed six children of their own, four of which they adopted have special needs.
Nine-year old Joel, who was adopted when he was 18 months old, has Goldenhar syndrome, a congenital birth defect that affects the development of the face and other parts of the body. In addition to missing his right ear, he also is missing a rib and wears a hearing aid.
Against the backdrop of the summer heat outside, the Gagnon family attended a new church that another of their sons was speaking at for a reflection on camp. After the event was over, Joel walked beside his mom to Sunday School and, as Joel was entering the room, he was met with mouths agaze as well as with the pointing fingers of the children within the fellowship.
The trauma of the experience immediately sent Joel running to the back of the meeting room to hide until his mother comforted him with the warmth of her arms and the unending layers of her love.
Whilst taking in the church sermon that Sunday, Joel inscribed “Joel Loves Mom” on his mother’s arm.
Resulting from this personal experience, both Stacey and Darren have made it their mission to spread the awareness that parents must be intentional in cementing their children with a compassionate heart.
It is from the context of that instilled compassion with which genuine love is conceptualized and set into motion for their fellow women and men.
A subsequent striving for service to better the lives of other people will also arise through the lessons learned.
My Ray of Sunshine for today is…
I think that not only are Stacey and Darren earthly angels for all they do for other children, but the ability to strive to make a positive out of their son’s heart-wrenching ordeal is commendable. There is always a need to better educate others.
People need to present the reality to their children that they will see other kids with various types of differences in the world.
Whether or not they have special needs makes no true difference in how EVERYONE deserves to be treated. We all have differences and all have very fragile feelings.
If we simply embrace those very differences and look past any disabilities, the society that we live in will be all the more strengthened through the love enacted upon the friendships, and the subsequent potential for more relationships, that begin to be formed.
Show your child pictures of other people with differences or disabilities and encourage them to get to know a variety of children in school.
Cement the reality that kids should get to know the hearts that are at the core of the formulated character of the kids they encounter.
By doing so, kids will learn to see past any disability and embrace differences, thereby setting the groundwork for an empathetic mindset to help guide them through life.
I know firsthand how much of a blessing people with special needs can be.
When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to be a helper in a special needs gym class for 2 years.
People with special needs see the heart in people. They do not aim to judge others. They are genuine in all aspects of the way they conduct themselves and simply do the best they can to spread happiness just by being themselves, embracing their differences, and being kind.
What it all comes down to is that they are people, too, who have feelings just like everyone and they are no different from anyone else.
Teach the children of today to see the good people those with special needs are. See what is in the heart and not the disability.
It does nobody any favors to spread judgements or ridicule. Kindness always wins out.
We can all learn from every encounter our lives allow us to have.
We are all different but we are all connected in the landscape of life.
The old adage of treating others the way you want to be treated comes to mind. It a simplistic principle which we should all value as we become influences on the next generation.
Learn from past mistakes, just as the kids who pointed at Joel will learn, too. Teach children the benefits of a kind heart and an empathetic mind.
If they see any form of bullying or putting down of others, teach them the vitality of getting involved to defend their friends and, moreover, all people the more and more they get to know others.
Teach them to be mindful of what they say and do–it all has an impact on the people around us. We are a product of our surroundings and, so, too, we all have feelings.
Teach them the magnitude that supporting others has on daily living and self-esteem.
Set the example of an open heart. Never be afraid to show and talk about your emotions with your children because it shows them that is it important to cry and be sensitive.
You are laying the foundation of showing your feelings.
This will enhance their depth of perception when it comes to showing and discussing their emotions around their friends and help them when it comes to romantic relationships as well.
Be the difference that you want your children to make in this world. They emulate the mirrored model of their primary lifelong influences.
Let’s all build a better future through the lessons we provide our children.
Take today’s story and continue to strive to make yourself and your child a better person via the lessons learned from the Gagnon family, a gift of compassion and kindness to be paid forward Daisy chain-style from them to us and now us to our daily encounters.
Kindness is key in a fulfilling life. If you are kind to those around you, have faith, and the rest will take care of itself.
Have a wonderful day, folks. Thank you for stopping by.
Bob's Ray of Sunshine 