MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

Opinion

Discussion

May 3, 2012

Child’s story shows good and bad

— Willie Watts waits each school day for his stepdaughter’s bus to stop in front of their house on East Okmulgee Avenue.

Watts meets 13-year-old Gideon Crumpler as she wheels her motorized chair from the bus to the front steps. From there, Watts carries Gideon up five steps and into their home.

Cars back up on Okmulgee as the bus driver waits for Gideon to get safely indoors.

Some drivers, caught behind the idling bus, feel the need to honk — an obnoxious reminder their day is more important than Gideon’s.

Other drivers — such as Anita Waters Kilgore — feel the need to help.

“All the cars were honking, and the girl turned around and looked so sad,” Kilgore said.

Gideon has a rare defect that stunted her growth and affects her ability to walk and speak.

Kilgore posted a comment on Facebook about the little girl that touched her heart.

Eighty-five immediate responses later, Gideon was well on her way to having a ramp built from wood and nails and the goodness of people’s hearts. Members of the First Baptist Church of Warner helped build a ramp to make a man and his stepdaughter’s lives just a little easier — just a smidgen better.

Those who helped made the world a better place. Those who honked did not.

The difference is in how you look at the world — how it affects you or how you affect it.

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