The best example I have always given to illustrate the thought process of my brother, Shane, is a story from our growing up years. Our family was told that Shane would never do many things in life because of being born with brain damage. But when he was around the age of 12, my neighbor (Wendy) and I decided to teach Shane to ride a bike. And, guess what, he learned it and loved it! The only problem was that he couldn’t grasp the concept of watching for cars and people while cycling.

We had a big hill near our neighborhood street that we would often climb so that we could then coast down at a fast speed. Shane loved the hill, and he enjoyed cycling up and down our street. Every time Shane would go out to ride his bike, our family would instruct him to watch for cars. One day on his way out the door, I yelled “Watch for cars when you come down the hill!”. He stopped and replied in a frustrated manner, “Michelle, you always tell me to watch for cars, but how can I watch for them when they are not there?!?”. Trying to get him to understand that he had to watch IN CASE a car appeared was a concept he just couldn’t grasp. Our family is thankful to God and all of our neighborhood friends for watching over Shane each and every time he took his bike out of the garage!

(Picture:  Shane)