Ginny Pettit of Geneseo holds a photo of her daughter, Suzie, as a teenager and the book she wrote, "Inside Suzie," about her daughter's early years as someone living with developmental delays. Even though she was unable to communicate, Suzie's love and smile spoke volumes to the people around her, Pettit said. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

GENESEO — No words are necessary to show love and Suzie Pettit excelled at that. While developmental delays left her unable to walk or talk, she taught everyone around her how to love well, too.

Ginny Pettit has shared what her family and friends learned in a 28-page book, “Inside Suzie,” which was released by Christian Faith Publishing earlier this year. A family affair, the book was illustrated by Ginny’s daughter and Suzie’s sister, graphic artist Joey Pettit.

It was a book 30 years in the making, Ginny Pettit said.

“I like to write. I sat down one day when Suzie was 10 or 12 years old and this just flowed out of my heart — my thoughts of her and how special she was to our whole family,” said Pettit, a longtime member of St. Malachy Parish. “I think it was kind of a God thing.”

What she hopes to do with the book is give parents, grandparents and teachers a way to talk to children about those who are handicapped, she told The Catholic Post.

“There’s one page where I talk about how little children would come up to Suzie, but because she couldn’t walk or talk, pretty soon they ran off and played with other children. She would have liked to have been their friend,” Pettit said. “It’s OK to walk up and say, ‘Hello,’ or give them a smile or play ball with them.”

When she talks about Suzie, Pettit remembers that she loved ice cream and birthday parties, and would get excited when people sang “Happy Birthday.” She also loved to laugh and smile at the children in her extended family.

“She was just a fun little girl. Everybody loved her,” Pettit said.

WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?

They never got a specific diagnosis for what Suzie was dealing with, although she did have some cerebral palsy and seizures. Pettit said that was 45 years ago when less was known.

“She got to a certain plateau and stayed there. Toward the end of her life her health started to fail,” she recalled.

Suzie Pettit died in 2014 at the age of 40.

The book covers the first 10 years of her life and looks at what might have been going through her mind during the day-to-day routine of getting a bath, getting dressed, and having meals.

“What was she thinking? Was this making her upset that these choices were all being made for her and she had no way of saying, ‘That’s not my preference,’” Pettit told The Post. “I wondered what she was really thinking when I’m making all these decisions.”

At dinner, for example, did her father, Bob, give her green beans when she wanted mashed potatoes instead? “At least there would be ice cream for dessert,” Pettit said with a smile.

Suzie lived at home until she was 10 and eventually went to live at Warren Achievement Center in Monmouth. Pettit said she used to go and pray the rosary with her daughter.

“It was a beautiful time. She couldn’t say the rosary with me, but I would just hold her hand and say it out loud,” Pettit said. “She liked the cadence of the prayers. It was a very special time at the end of her life when we could do that.”

Suzie had four sisters and one brother. Now the Pettit family includes 14 grandchildren.

PERFECT TIMING

While Ginny Pettit wrote the text for “Inside Suzie” 30 years ago, it wasn’t accepted for publication. She thought perhaps the timing wasn’t right. The story was read at Suzie’s funeral, however.

Perhaps now is exactly the right time for Suzie’s story to be shared, she said.

“It saddens me so much that so many people are aborting their disabled kids, especially children with Down syndrome,” Pettit said. “I just want people to stop and think. All kids have so much to give, so much love to give.”

Suzie did and in the last pages of the book, Pettit writes that that’s what all Christians are called to do. “That’s what makes all of our lives worthwhile, really,” she said.

“My main wish for this book is that people’s hearts will be touched and that they will learn to really love the disabled and accept them for who they really are,” Pettit said, “and see the intrinsic value of their lives.”

“Inside Suzie” is available at St. Malachy Church, 595 E. Ogden Ave., in Geneseo, and in gift shops in Geneseo and Kewanee. It is also available on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com .