Oh Brother, What Now???
One year my brother Ryan came and visited Brian and I and our two boys at the time. Joseph was just a newborn, and my brother needed some R&R so I invited him up. At the time, we had a cozy mountian home, it was mid-spring, the smell of flowers filled the atmosphere, the fresh mountain air, the sounds of nature sweeping through the trees, it would be perfect, besides, I hadnt seen my brother in a long time or spent quality time together.
My brother was born with asperger's disorder, he does well,, has is pecularities, but most of the time, we can tolerate each other. In referene to peculiarities, he has to have everything planned out a certain way. So when he arrived, he checked out the downstairs area where he'd be staying. We were in the process of finsihign out basement. I had a bathroom at least, a tv area with cable, internet/computer and a futon for him to sleep.
He first told me when he would come up for his meals. I was to cook his meals and have them prepared at a certain time. Now, I don't even do this for Brian, but being a loving sister, I said, sure Ryan, you got it, my pleasure. Then, he told me when he went to bed, when he would wake up, he didn't want the children down stairs bothering him, when he would take his bath in our jacuzzi downstairs, when he would go hiking in our neighborhood, etc. Everything like I said, was planned out.
It all was going so well at first, I would get up and see Brian off to work, then begin getting breakfast ready for my boys. We had to be real quiet, Ryan didn't not want to wake up until 12:00 pm. The boys were elated to have a visitor in our house. THey began to jump up and down, make noises to their favorite cartoons, and manged to wake my brother up earlier than he is use to being nocturnal. It was about the second day when he just couldn't take it anymore. He had to say something to us.
"Do you all do this everyday, get up, make noises. I am trying to sleep". he said upset.
"Yes, we start our day early and we try to get up and eat and begin our day?" as if I was doing something worng.
"Well, Ryan said agitated, I can't go back to sleep, so now, I don't know what to do, it's not in my schedule."
I know my brother suffers with OCD, so I couldn't give him a paint bucket and ask him to paint the house, or ask him to get on the roof and clean the gutters. I did have a couple of errands that needed to be run, such as taking down the garbage to the local dump down the street from our house, not a big deal for him, and going into town and paying our energy bill. It would get him out for a short bit and I could think of something else.
Ryan packs up the garbage and begins his journey.
He leaves and I get back to the boys. No sooner than later, I get a call from him.
"MISSY, he is so upset in his voice, I turned your truck off I thought, I pulled the key out, but it's still running, I can't turn off the truck!!!"
Now this may seem like an easy mystery to solve but not for my brother. He had already reached the level of impatience, and I had forgot to tell him, the truck was very peculiar like Ryan, you couldn't just turn it off like a normal truck. Also, the gas gauge didn't work, so he panicked thinking he was out of gas even though we had gas, and leaving the car running was upsetting him in fear he would run out. You had to do a thing a ma jig to the truck to get it to turn off, and I couldn't explain to him over the phone the thing a ma jig. So I instucted him, don't turn it off, just put the key back in, and go down to the electric office. My instructions were to leave the car running and run in and pay the bill.
So he finds himself okay again, resolved, calm, relaxed...thank God, regretting I sent him down.
The phone rings again and guess who,
"MISSY, he said even more upset. I can't believe this. You have me on some wild goose chase or what."
"What are you talking about Ryan??? I didn't set you up. What is wrong now, calm down, tell me slowly," I said trying not to loose it.
"Okay, I go inside to make a payment, there is THIS LADY sitting there in the office. I keep saying , Mam, I need to pay my bill. She will not speak to me. My eyes aren't the best you know, and I get closer realizing it's a manican. The office is staged like a historical building."
Oh, my, busting out laughing at my poor brother, I totally forgot that the electric company did in fact have a historical buidling next to the payment office with a manican sitting at the desk. It was just for show.
He is already heading back to the house upset at me, upset at being woke up early. Ah, I felt so bad but yet I needed a good laugh and he gave me one.
When he got back to the house, I asked him, "How long were you talking to that manican again, " laughing again and again.
He started laughing too, and we got the information all straightened up. I sent Ryan back again, this time, being more informational than I was before. I showed him the truck and exactly where to go to make the payment.
The week finished up well. Brian took some time up with Ryan and they went up to Fort Mountain and did a good hike in the Cohutta Forest. I was so glad to spend that week with him and make him meals.
Ryan now lives in Cumming and I do too, so we see each other more often than ever. My brother is special in everyway, and he is my Lazurus. I don't understand and maybe never will why he has aperger's, but he does well considering his condition, extremely intelligent, never met a stranger, we live in a great community, the police look after him in town, the hispanics take up time with him at the basket ball courts, my sister is his caretaker, she makes his meals and my job is to stay away and not be a nuisance, it's hard b/c I love him and from time to time we go get our eat on somewhere.
I John 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
My brother was born with asperger's disorder, he does well,, has is pecularities, but most of the time, we can tolerate each other. In referene to peculiarities, he has to have everything planned out a certain way. So when he arrived, he checked out the downstairs area where he'd be staying. We were in the process of finsihign out basement. I had a bathroom at least, a tv area with cable, internet/computer and a futon for him to sleep.
He first told me when he would come up for his meals. I was to cook his meals and have them prepared at a certain time. Now, I don't even do this for Brian, but being a loving sister, I said, sure Ryan, you got it, my pleasure. Then, he told me when he went to bed, when he would wake up, he didn't want the children down stairs bothering him, when he would take his bath in our jacuzzi downstairs, when he would go hiking in our neighborhood, etc. Everything like I said, was planned out.
It all was going so well at first, I would get up and see Brian off to work, then begin getting breakfast ready for my boys. We had to be real quiet, Ryan didn't not want to wake up until 12:00 pm. The boys were elated to have a visitor in our house. THey began to jump up and down, make noises to their favorite cartoons, and manged to wake my brother up earlier than he is use to being nocturnal. It was about the second day when he just couldn't take it anymore. He had to say something to us.
"Do you all do this everyday, get up, make noises. I am trying to sleep". he said upset.
"Yes, we start our day early and we try to get up and eat and begin our day?" as if I was doing something worng.
"Well, Ryan said agitated, I can't go back to sleep, so now, I don't know what to do, it's not in my schedule."
I know my brother suffers with OCD, so I couldn't give him a paint bucket and ask him to paint the house, or ask him to get on the roof and clean the gutters. I did have a couple of errands that needed to be run, such as taking down the garbage to the local dump down the street from our house, not a big deal for him, and going into town and paying our energy bill. It would get him out for a short bit and I could think of something else.
Ryan packs up the garbage and begins his journey.
He leaves and I get back to the boys. No sooner than later, I get a call from him.
"MISSY, he is so upset in his voice, I turned your truck off I thought, I pulled the key out, but it's still running, I can't turn off the truck!!!"
Now this may seem like an easy mystery to solve but not for my brother. He had already reached the level of impatience, and I had forgot to tell him, the truck was very peculiar like Ryan, you couldn't just turn it off like a normal truck. Also, the gas gauge didn't work, so he panicked thinking he was out of gas even though we had gas, and leaving the car running was upsetting him in fear he would run out. You had to do a thing a ma jig to the truck to get it to turn off, and I couldn't explain to him over the phone the thing a ma jig. So I instucted him, don't turn it off, just put the key back in, and go down to the electric office. My instructions were to leave the car running and run in and pay the bill.
So he finds himself okay again, resolved, calm, relaxed...thank God, regretting I sent him down.
The phone rings again and guess who,
"MISSY, he said even more upset. I can't believe this. You have me on some wild goose chase or what."
"What are you talking about Ryan??? I didn't set you up. What is wrong now, calm down, tell me slowly," I said trying not to loose it.
"Okay, I go inside to make a payment, there is THIS LADY sitting there in the office. I keep saying , Mam, I need to pay my bill. She will not speak to me. My eyes aren't the best you know, and I get closer realizing it's a manican. The office is staged like a historical building."
Oh, my, busting out laughing at my poor brother, I totally forgot that the electric company did in fact have a historical buidling next to the payment office with a manican sitting at the desk. It was just for show.
He is already heading back to the house upset at me, upset at being woke up early. Ah, I felt so bad but yet I needed a good laugh and he gave me one.
When he got back to the house, I asked him, "How long were you talking to that manican again, " laughing again and again.
He started laughing too, and we got the information all straightened up. I sent Ryan back again, this time, being more informational than I was before. I showed him the truck and exactly where to go to make the payment.
The week finished up well. Brian took some time up with Ryan and they went up to Fort Mountain and did a good hike in the Cohutta Forest. I was so glad to spend that week with him and make him meals.
Ryan now lives in Cumming and I do too, so we see each other more often than ever. My brother is special in everyway, and he is my Lazurus. I don't understand and maybe never will why he has aperger's, but he does well considering his condition, extremely intelligent, never met a stranger, we live in a great community, the police look after him in town, the hispanics take up time with him at the basket ball courts, my sister is his caretaker, she makes his meals and my job is to stay away and not be a nuisance, it's hard b/c I love him and from time to time we go get our eat on somewhere.
I John 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
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