What Can Brown Do For You?

Recently, a friend sent me the link to this column from The Boston Globe online.  It is a really heartwarming story, so take a few minutes right now to go read it.

Okay, you are pretending that you read it, but I know that most of you did not really read it, so for YOU, the Cliffs Notes version.  A UPS driver went out of his way to make a 12 year old boy from Westborough Massachusetts very happy—a 12 year old boy who wanted to be a UPS driver for Halloween last year, a 12 year old boy who wants to be a UPS driver when he grows up because he would then be able to ride elevators up and down in office buildings as a part of his job and did I mention that this 12 year old boy just happens to have autism?

I have been observing as some of my friends take time each day to list at least one thing for which they are thankful.  So in this season of thanksgiving, I am thankful for this UPS driver, who went out of his way to make Sam Kanji’s day, his week, his year.

I am thankful for a friend who remembers the anniversary of David’s diagnosis each and every year and takes time to write a personal note because the Hallmark store does not carry cards marking such occasions.  I am thankful that someone at our church today included people with autism into the daily prayers at the service that we attended.  I am thankful for the neighbor who has volunteered to get up early to drive the shift TO school, knowing that it is much easier for me to pick up from school rather than to get David out of bed before the sun rise.

I am thankful for family and friends, who support us in ways that are too numerous to mention here.  I am thankful for my husband, and for Andrew who is a wonderfully supportive brother and is maturing into a fine young man.  I am thankful for David, who, in his soon to be seven short years, has taught me about hard work and perseverance and has also helped me to find MY voice.

I am thankful for people who take just a moment of their day to do something kind for someone else.  I promise to try to be more like those people, more like UPS driver Tim Phillips, who took the slogan, “What can brown do for you?” quite seriously.