You’re probably wondering why I created this site and where the name Winks of Goodness came from. It all goes back to a beautiful little girl named Easton.
Easton moved with her family to the Lake Norman area in September 2016. I met her when her mom, Liz, began working out at the Y. As soon as I saw Easton, I fell in love with her. White blonde hair and beautiful eyes, she was a gorgeous child, but her personality sealed the deal. Every morning, she would bounce into the lobby so happy to be there. Sometimes when I was lucky, she would sit with me while I worked on my laptop before class. Like most little people, she couldn’t quite get the “L” right in my name, so she called me “Ori.” I adored it.
One morning as I was sitting in the same place where she liked to sit with me at the Y, I received a text that Easton had unexpectedly passed away from a brain tumor. She hadn’t been herself for a couple of days, but we all thought she just wasn’t feeling well. Turns out she had super rare ATRT brain tumor that crushed her brain stem. It was May 5, 2017. She was 2 1/2 years old.
You don’t know how you’ll react when tragedy strikes, especially a brutal tragedy like this. When I read the text, I let out a loud gasp that attracted others to make sure I was okay. I then cried my eyes out, over and over. From then on, it was all about supporting her family and being grateful for every second I had with my own kids.
Somehow Liz managed to keep living life. I know it’s not easy, but she does it, and she does with such grace and empathy for others. I, along with a lot of others (many from our awesome exercise class), are walking this journey with her. It’s a journey where we can’t hold Easton or watch her grow up, but regardless of that, it’s a journey where she’s always with us. And that’s where the winks come in.
Little things happen all the time; little good things, and every time one of them happens, we says it’s a wink from Easton. Sometimes it’s a sponsor coming through for an event to raise money in her name for kids with cancer or kids who can’t afford to go camp. Sometimes it’s numbers that might correspond to her birthday. Whatever it is, we know that it’s Easton winking her beautiful eyes at us, letting us know that she’s okay and that it’s okay for us to be okay, too.
One day after an Easton wink, I thought of the name Winks of Goodness because every single thing about Easton was good. I bought the site and promised myself that I would do something with it, something good. So here we are, looking for all of the goodness in the world. Whether it be large or small, there is good in every day because every day is a gift. Little Easton taught me that.