There were lots of excited students on The Magic Tour '93, but none more so than Ashley Goad. Ashley was a young woman who had not had an easy life to that point; her parents had divorced, and at various points her relationships with both of them had been strained. Many of the girls in our group were related to each other and had attended different schools than she did, and they were a very close knit group. Ashley often struggled to fit in. But she never gave up on us. She and I developed a close relationship that included me calling her Prudence Irwina Goad (PIG for short!). The excitement she had for this trip had very little to do with me, however. For Ashley, this trip was all about Tigger!
Ashley was completely obsessed with finding Tigger at every park and getting her picture made with him. She stalked the poor creature all over WDW, and I took a ton of pictures of the two of them. And each time we found the character, the smile on her face brought one to mine. Unfortunately, I took only slides that week, and those slides are lost forever. But trust me- there were plenty of pics of PIG and Tigger!
Ashley and I shared a lot of good times- and some bad. But we always had Tigger! We both knew the correct way to spell it- T-I-Double Grrr-er! We both could sing the Tigger song (see video below). She was a very special part of that trip and my life. When we left Springfield Friends Meeting, I worried about her and prayed for her often. I didn't need to worry; she was in God's hands already. She is now a youth pastor herself and has changed the life of many a young person through her love of Jesus. I am so proud of all that she overcame and all that she has become. Every time I see Tigger, I remember Ashley, and I thank God that I got to be a small part of her life. Even if she did spend one week as a stalker... Ashley, you and Tigger are a lot alike- there's only one of each of you!
Because of Jesus,
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