For Levi.

As some of you may know, my younger brother Levi has autism. He was diagnosed around age 3, and since then I've always had this fear of what he would be able to accomplish academically and professionally. Whether or not he would ever play sports, go to prom, or touch a performance stage. More out of ignorance than anything else, I let fear and doubt govern the way I viewed and treated my brother for much of my young life.

It's funny how God works.

Levi is 11 years old now. He's has a mischievous sense of humor, is a budding snowball fight champion, and can recite entire monologues at length from is favorite movies and shows. He also hasn't gotten less than %100 on a spelling test in about 4 years. I walked into my living room this morning and there he was, railing off words for today's spelling quiz at his tempered, methodical pace with my ever-present mother watching from a few feet away, beaming with pride at her brilliant son.

The past two weeks have been quite tumultuous for me. It was a blessing to see Levi this morning and be reminded of what beauty is all around us when we just take the time to look.

This post is dedicated to him, to the brilliant mind so many people have tried to limit with labels and statistics. My younger brother is a genius the world just doesn't know how to appreciate yet. But they will. Truth always comes to light.

Who knows? We may see him on the national stage one day yet.

Gotta keep pushing. In patience, and love.