Before making your pie, make sure you know your yucky pumpkins.   

Three years ago, my youngest grandson, Logan received a diagnosis of ASD, Autistic Spectrum Disorder.  While the finding does not define him, autism is a part of who he is and for that reason, we embrace it.  

He sees this world differently.  It is no easy task for any of us, but especially for him.  

The happiness and laughter outweigh our sadness, as we live with this delightfully intelligent child.  He has a unique way of making sense of things, with a language and an operating system all his own. 

Occasionally, he is downright refreshing.   Oftentimes, he is entertainingly funny.

Last fall, his class assignment was to draw his favorite part of the book, The Ugly Pumpkin, and write a sentence describing the book.  He drew and colored four orange pumpkins, three with happy faces and one with a sad face.  

The sentence read, “The pumpkin was happy.” 

 Aunt Wendy was bragging on his pumpkin picture.  

“Oh, Logan,” she said.  

“These are beautiful pumpkins and they’re so happy. But, why is this last little pumpkin so sad?” she asked in a pitiful voice.  

Without hesitation, Logan replied, “He’s a YUCKY pumpkin.”  

“Oh.” Wendy responded. 

“If I was a yucky pumpkin, I would be sad, too.” 

Logan stopped.  

Without missing a beat, he looked at Wendy.

“You was a pumpkin?” he asked.

The moral of the story? 

As you whip up that pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, please make certain it’s not your favorite Aunt Wendy! 

This year, as you carve your family jack-o-lantern, will it be a happy or yucky pumpkins? Logan and his Aunt Wendy would love it if you would post a favorite pic of your family pumpkin to the wall on our Facebook page.

Post your pumpkin here.