About E.G. MacDonald

This web site is a digital memorial for Eden Grace MacDonald. She was one of a kind. Everyone says that about their kid, but in this case, it’s true. Creative, empathetic, seriously funny and kind, the world is a better place for the 17 years she spent in it. Below we’ve included what was read at her memorial service on behalf of the family. As we get our feet under us again we’ll be adding more art, pictures, and writing to this site. Anything that she considered public, we hope to share.

With deep love and affection,

Eden’s Mom

Eden Grace MacDonald entered into life on a warm night in August almost two years after her brother Jes and five years before her brother Benjamin. Drama immediately followed. Born with bilateral club foot, we had to whisk her off to see a specialist on just her second day of life. The first few weeks she had to have her feet and legs in casts and this did not make her happy, something she made sure we knew. When casts gave way to ugly, white shoes attached with a metal bar, it didn’t take her long to figure out that she could wait until we’d tied them securely and then Houdini her little feet right out of them. It didn’t matter how tight we tied the laces, she’d have her toes out in a second. We should have known then that she could not be contained.

Adjusting quickly to the limitations of shoes with a bar, Eden defied expectations and walked early. Once walking, she danced. She jumped. She ran. You’d never know, watching her at ballet or running on the beach, that she’d ever been limited at all. Eden was exuberant from the first. With a kind heart and an empathetic soul, she loved easily, felt things keenly. One of her preschool teachers nicknamed her Sweeden (for sweet Eden). But she was saucy too. From a young age she had the kind of wit people always hope they develop. The quick sort that results in laughs, sometimes surprised ones. She had innate comedic timing and a sharp sense of humor. Sometimes shy, she didn’t share it with everyone, but those of us who knew her best got to laugh long and hard with her.

In the program today, you’ll see some of Eden’s other talents. Whether it was character design, world-building, plotting storylines or just sketching, she was a creator. She spent hours drawing and crafting. Beads and pipe cleaners, wire and flowers, paper and pencil, were just some of her mediums. Many of you know about her paper crowns. When it came time to go back to school in person this year she lamented that she couldn’t wear hats in school and started crafting paper crowns. They were a way to express herself through fashion, something she loved. At a time when a lot of us struggle to fit in, Eden was happy standing out.

A few of you have described Eden to us as an ‘old soul’. That fits with her well-developed sense of self. At 17 she had the self-possession of a 40 year old. She knew what she wanted and she worked to get it. But what she wanted wasn’t what the world told her she did. She knew her own mind and heart. Headstrong, but in the good way, she was not afraid to advocate for herself.

Eden was a study in contrasts, fiercely independent and yet in no hurry for adulthood. She could be acerbic and sarcastic, but she cried at movies. The stuffed animal she had on her bed? It was a plague doctor. She was hard and soft, sweet and spicy. She might have been old for her years, but her heart was young.

Eden did not fear death. Not for herself. Maybe it was a combination of her knowledge of the Bible and all the nature documentaries she watched, but she had a very healthy understanding of life and death. She feared bees – anything yellow that flew, really. She feared needles, hot ovens and open flames. She feared causing anyone pain, but she did not fear death. This last year with all its struggles and challenges gave Eden more opportunity to share with us her thoughts and we’re so grateful for all those hours we spent together. It wasn’t an easy year for her, but she got through it, was looking forward to the summer. She was hopeful for the future, for going to art school, for what was ahead. There are small mercies there for those she left behind.

What we will miss most is her presence. Even sitting on the couch and watching TV with us, she radiated life. She could walk through a room and light it up without trying, probably without realizing it. She was all that and she didn’t know it.

We are comforted that Eden knew Jesus. Although her years on this earth are over, her soul lives on in heaven.  We had her with us for 17 years, 9 months, and 20 days. It was too short, but honestly, even 100 years would be too short. Our unique, gifted, kind, loving, beautiful daughter, sister and friend, has gone from us and we know this is the kind of cut that does not heal. But it does change as time passes. We also know that God will be with us, as He has always been. From her first breath to her last, God was with Eden too.