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Home > Braggin' 'Bout my Baby Brother

Braggin' 'Bout my Baby Brother

July 2nd, 2007 at 09:11 pm

Please excuse me while I do a little bragging ...

My "baby" (40) brother had his annual review at work last week; he had an excellent review and was treated by his boss to a nice lunch at the restaurant of his choice. He has worked at the same place for 12 or 13 years (I forget exactly how long).

So ... What is so remarkable about that, you may ask? My brother is developmentally disabled. Except for perhaps a month or 2 in-between jobs, he has always worked (part-time), ever since he graduated from high school.

And speaking of his high school graduation ... Imagine the family's surprise when, sitting in the bleachers bursting with pride just because he was simply graduating, the principal paused at the end of announcing the honors grads and said: "And this year we are giving out a Special Presidential Award for Academic Effort to ... (fill in my brother's name here) ..." We went wild! The little stinker had never told us he was getting anything.

Anyway, back to his job ... In the past he has done janitorial work, has bagged groceries, and has stocked store shelves. His current job is unloading trucks. On the days he works, he gets up at an awfully early hour and rides his bike to work (he cannot drive a car), and always arrives on time for his 6am start. He is punctual, hard-working, careful, and cheerful.

Tho' he lives with our mom, he pays her some rent and no one claims him as a dependent. He helps my mother out a lot around the house, and he does volunteer work in the neighborhood. Several of the neighbors trust him enough to hire him to look after their homes & pets when they are out of town.

He is quite a remarkable man, who does much more than many folks who do not have his limitations.

Why did he turn out to be such a productive member of society? Several reasons. My parents, while not perfect, made accomodations for his disability but did not coddle him. He had some wonderful teachers who patiently taught him. He has a great employer. And, he has 3 sisters (I'm sure he'd refer to us as psuedo-mothers) who have never let him slack off. Smile

I know that not everyone can work, but I do get frustrated when I hear people making lame excuses about why they can't. I think about my brother and what he has accomplished in his life. If he can do it, just about anyone can!

9 Responses to “Braggin' 'Bout my Baby Brother”

  1. Frayed Buckeye Card Says:
    1183407404

    And proud you should be. Some people are truly a gift from God.

  2. miclason Says:
    1183407653

    Brag away!...I bet there's another thing you did, that you didn't mention: You never told him he couldn't do or achieve all that he has!

  3. Ima saver Says:
    1183409709

    You should be very proud of him!!

  4. mom-from-missouri Says:
    1183414907

    He serves as an example to many!

  5. honeichild Says:
    1183422504

    Great news for your brother!

    Here's the link for work from home jobs, amex is listed. http://www.passiontosuccess.com/jobs.html

  6. princessperky Says:
    1183424722

    Awesome story about your brother!

  7. tklahn Says:
    1183438470

    That is just so cool! Everyone should be so blessed to have a sister like you to help them out and brag on 'em.

  8. JanH Says:
    1183479318

    What an inspirational man! Great post! And your family and teachers should be applauded, also!

  9. Frugal Momma Says:
    1185719264

    I loved reading this. My 5 yr son is developmentally disabled and I always wonder about the future for him. You gave me some hope Smile

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