Gathering in Black Mountain

We had three GNIDers together in Black Mountain, NC at the memorial service for Doug Pickett:  Louisa, Dave Whetstone, and myself.  The fellow on the left is my brother Doug.  Dave and Debbie hosted me for four nights and it was nice to have some extended time with Hickory, NC’s finest, and to catch up with Louisa.

A New Neighbor • by Vivia Day Tatum

NOTE from Vivia: Our church created an advent devotional of “God Moments” members of the congregation had experienced. This piece is a description of a “God Moment” I experienced.

St. Matthew, 22:39 “…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” KJV

The air was over 105 deg. and the humidity in the 90s when I arrived at my new home in Sumatra, Indonesia. The heat was oppressive and damaging – leather sandals left in a closet for two days would be covered in white, soft mold! I was ten years old and approached my new surroundings with curious optimism. Our home was a 2 bedroom house with cool, stone tile floors and 1 ceiling fan, unsuccessful in its throbbing efforts to cool the room. Shortly after arriving, I explored the nearby streets. To my surprise and disappointment, the children were hostile to me, called me names, and threw stones at me! To them my skin color represented centuries of dominance which had ended only a few years before. I turned and left their jeers behind.

A military run kindergarten was next door to us. Sometimes I watched the little children play outside on the see saws and swings and was envious. It would be nice to have a friend, but I had learned I wasn’t welcome. If only I wasn’t so different… After the children at the school left for home, I stared longingly at a see saw. If there was someone else, we could see saw together. I silently prayed to God and asked for a friend – a girl who was my religion, my color, and my size. To my amazement, a little girl my size emerged from the building and we looked at each other. She had been watching me. She had darker skin than mine. I waited for the taunts, but none came! We tentatively waved, then smiled. I climbed over the low wall, and we headed to the see saw. The welcome breeze of our see saw ride and the joy of laughter has been a memory I’ve never forgotten. My mother and Sumarni’s parents watched from the shade, and I saw them smile at each other. Sumarni spoke Bahasa Indonesia and was a Muslim. I spoke English and was a Christian. We used sign language and pointing and gradually we each learned words from the other’s language. I was welcomed into their one room which had sheets hanging as dividers. Sumarni’s father was the night watchman and they lived at the school. They sold peanuts from a cart in the afternoon and evening. Sumarni and I helped put the peanuts into little wax paper bags we had made. We were very involved in creative play, but more importantly we laughed and so enjoyed being together. The rest of the world was caught up in war and hatred over differences, but Sumarni and I, Muslim and Christian, were neighbors and loved each other.

Sumarni was God’s gift to me. I was lonely and prayed for a friend just like me. God, however, knew better, and answered my prayer beyond imagination. God gave me Sumarni who was not as I pictured at all – she was so much better!

Lord, help us love our neighbor as ourselves, as you have commanded.

Douglas Robinson Pickett; 1929-2011

 

 

“Big Doug”, as we called him in the family, died while sleeping on November 30, of heart failure.  Many of you will remember Doug while he and Ann ran Ridgewood when we were chutes, or from his years with WOSA.  We called him “Big Doug” to differentiate him from my brother Doug who was 31 years his junior.  But Doug was always big in heart, soul, integrity, and humor as well.

Doug was my childhood idol and my first memories of him are when he blew into our home in Detroit when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade.  He had spent the summer break from Ohio Wesleyan working on the Alaskan Railroad and his clothes were so dirty and crusted they stood up by themselves!  I was thrilled that he shared my bedroom during his visit.

Doug was a super uncle to all of us and he became a good friend and mentor during my adult life.  We will miss him greatly.

Services will be held at 3 PM on Saturday, December 10, at the Highland Ranch retirement center in Black Mountain, NC.  Friends are welcome to attend.

News From the Bonham Household

This is the contents of an email we recently received from David with some news to make us all proud.  Congratulations Gabe, Shuli, Gretchen, and David!

 

Hi all,

We have been in the news a bit this year.

First, our son Gabe, who is autistic, was recognized as an exceptionally successful young man at his workplace at 3M here in St. Paul. This spring he was featured in a conference on autism in the workplace (along with Temple Grandin, who is a star in the autism community).
Here is a photo and caption from a newspaper article about the event.

(Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson) Gabe
Bonham, 29, right, an employee at 3M in the skin and wound care division was hired by 3M about seven months ago. Bonham is autistic and says he owes his success to the hard work of his parents, Gretchen and David Bonham, MD, left.  The three attended the Temple Grandin lecture at 3M on Thursday. Grandin, a famous author and animal behavior expert was the keynote speaker at the Autism and Employment Forum held at 3M headquarters in St. Paul on Thursday, February 17. Grandin, who is autistic herself encouraged an audience of about 900 to look beyond the social awkwardness of autism and look at all the many talents that prospective employees could bring to the table. (Pioneer Press: Ginger Pinson) (Ginger Pinson)

Then our daughter Shuli took on the governor and legislature of the state of Maine. They were trying to cut the funding for the Portland Clinic for the Homeless, and she is their medical director (her first job right out of training). By the way, she prevailed!  Here is a TV news video clip about that struggle from this spring:

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/159082/2/MaineCare-changes-could-close-homeless-clinic

And now, I was just on a public television program about end of life care.  I have been working with a group here in the twin cities promoting having facilitated discussions between patients and their families and medical providers become part of routine health care.  The program is called "Honoring Choices Minnesota", and all of the hospitals and health care groups in the metro have signed on! Our public television station heard about us and has put together this nice documentary. The following link is to the second segment that just came out.

http://www.mnvideovault.org/index.php?id=22805&select_index=0&popup=yes

After that, Gretchen told us that in order to stay up with us, she was going to go on "So you think you can dance"!

Love
David

Sedona Reunion–Part III

Here’s a link to some great pictures taken by Laurie and Gia at the Sedona Reunion.  You can click on the slideshow to open the pictures in the GNID Picasa Web album.  Thanks, ladies!

Sedona Reunion—Part II

And here’s a picture of the entire group that made it to Sedona for this year’s reunion.  I’m promised yet more pictures, so stay tuned.  (By the way, doesn’t Ted look dapper with that stuff all over his face?)

Sedona Reunion–Part 1

Here’s a picture of the GNIDers attending the Sedona reunion with the exception of Marilee and her husband Dave, and Karen (Holden) and her friend John.  The absentees reportedly found better things to do than take jeeps up to the Sedona badlands – they were trying to track down the elusive Roadrunner.  I’m promised additional photos to post shortly.  Meanwhile I’m trying to hold my envy in check!