Pages

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Gifts of Autism

My older brother is autistic. He’s been that way since day 1 and though life was and still is very difficult for him, I am so grateful for the struggles he went through growing up.

Why? Because he made me a better person. My big brother taught me to look at those who may be different and love them for who they were. He taught me how to forgive whole-heartedly and forget wrongdoings completely.  My brother brought laughter to our home through funny antics.

This man, my big brother, is still a boy in so many ways, but he has embraced his autism. He seeks out younger children with autism and helps them; mentors them. He is thrilled to now have a job working at a therapy facility teaching children with autism how to live life to the fullest despite their challenges. He raises awareness for and increases understanding of autism through his Facebook updates.

Because of my big brother, I am who I am today. Despite all of the heartache and pain felt in my family because of autism, I would not change our past for the world, and neither would he. Without his autism, I may have never learned to care. Thank you Rob!

4 comments:

  1. My baby boy is autistic and as hard as it has been, I know it has made my daughter, his older sister, a better person. I blog about him in one of my blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is such a sweet tribute to your brother. I really love the post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bravo to you and your brother!

    Such a touching post! Well done! :) Heather

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a great post! My little brother is autistic and I know exactly how you feel! He's one of my favorite people in the whole world! That's so exciting that he has a job and can work in that capacity! I wish I could find something like that for my brother! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete

Comments