A small known fact...
My cousin is dead.
He died March 2nd, 2002.
He had a 'mental handicap.'
His name was and still is Carl.
I call him my hero.
When he was younger, he seemed
perfectly normal.
But, as he got older, people realized
he was different, slighly slower.
He was not expected to exceed the level
of reading of a seven year old.
He never did.
When his mother was pregnant, she drank
and did drugs, and really just didnt' care
about him.
So, his disability was caused by her, but
I dont see it as a bad thing.
Carl was a gift.
He was literally the cause of the smile on
many people's faces.
He kept our family going.
Made everyone happy, and loving.
He had it on the tough end a lot.
His biological mother just gave him to
my aunt [his true at heart mom] and uncle [his dad]
because she was 'embarrassed' to be seen with him.
They took care of him with so much love,
something that I had never seen before.
Its the kind of stuff you see in movies.
They put him above everything.
Oh, and his sisters.. they loved him and cared for
him like you would never be able to imagine.
And then there was his brothers.
One especially. Chris.
He was his full brother.
Their mother wouldn't let him live with uncle
[his father], but she had no problem giving
away Carl.
Anyway, Chris. Chris was always there.
Always worrying and watching.
And now, every Christmas, Chris types
up a letter and has my father read it to
the family.
Its a letter said to be sent from Carl who is
now in Heaven.
And every year.. we all cry.
But I think that's a good thing.
Carl was a gift in our lives.
And he's never going to be forgotten.
I know I'll never forget his laughter.
He never let down his happiness for any reason.
The thing I remember most about him was that
he could quote the Bible like nobody's business.
He knew all the songs and stories.
And he knew that Jesus loved him, and we all know
that he's with Jesus now.
The very last time I saw him alive he
wasn't smiling.
He was on life support.
His brain had gone dead.
He had thrown up half of his blood.
And he was laying in a hospital bed.
And I remember making paper cranes in hopes that
he would come back to life.
And a few hours after we left, they took him off.
And then the angels came and got the strong soul
from that weak body and mind.
A heart so huge in a life so short.
He was 17.
No smarter than 7 when it came to books...
I was 11.
And that day I knew that Jesus was taking him
home.
And I prayed to be fully accepted by Christ.
We all still miss my cousin very much.
I doubt that will ever change.
The reason I brought this up:
We talked about Disabilities today in church.
It dug deep.
I hope the other kids felt it too.
But its so hard to know what its like if you've
never seen it first hand.
I see it as being fortunate.
I honestly believe that Carl was a gift.
"Don't give people pity, give them support."
He died March 2nd, 2002.
He had a 'mental handicap.'
His name was and still is Carl.
I call him my hero.
When he was younger, he seemed
perfectly normal.
But, as he got older, people realized
he was different, slighly slower.
He was not expected to exceed the level
of reading of a seven year old.
He never did.
When his mother was pregnant, she drank
and did drugs, and really just didnt' care
about him.
So, his disability was caused by her, but
I dont see it as a bad thing.
Carl was a gift.
He was literally the cause of the smile on
many people's faces.
He kept our family going.
Made everyone happy, and loving.
He had it on the tough end a lot.
His biological mother just gave him to
my aunt [his true at heart mom] and uncle [his dad]
because she was 'embarrassed' to be seen with him.
They took care of him with so much love,
something that I had never seen before.
Its the kind of stuff you see in movies.
They put him above everything.
Oh, and his sisters.. they loved him and cared for
him like you would never be able to imagine.
And then there was his brothers.
One especially. Chris.
He was his full brother.
Their mother wouldn't let him live with uncle
[his father], but she had no problem giving
away Carl.
Anyway, Chris. Chris was always there.
Always worrying and watching.
And now, every Christmas, Chris types
up a letter and has my father read it to
the family.
Its a letter said to be sent from Carl who is
now in Heaven.
And every year.. we all cry.
But I think that's a good thing.
Carl was a gift in our lives.
And he's never going to be forgotten.
I know I'll never forget his laughter.
He never let down his happiness for any reason.
The thing I remember most about him was that
he could quote the Bible like nobody's business.
He knew all the songs and stories.
And he knew that Jesus loved him, and we all know
that he's with Jesus now.
The very last time I saw him alive he
wasn't smiling.
He was on life support.
His brain had gone dead.
He had thrown up half of his blood.
And he was laying in a hospital bed.
And I remember making paper cranes in hopes that
he would come back to life.
And a few hours after we left, they took him off.
And then the angels came and got the strong soul
from that weak body and mind.
A heart so huge in a life so short.
He was 17.
No smarter than 7 when it came to books...
I was 11.
And that day I knew that Jesus was taking him
home.
And I prayed to be fully accepted by Christ.
We all still miss my cousin very much.
I doubt that will ever change.
The reason I brought this up:
We talked about Disabilities today in church.
It dug deep.
I hope the other kids felt it too.
But its so hard to know what its like if you've
never seen it first hand.
I see it as being fortunate.
I honestly believe that Carl was a gift.
"Don't give people pity, give them support."