This is a picture I made years ago featuring my nephew Jesse. Jesse just celebrated his twenty first birthday on Sunday. So I went down to visit with him in his new bachelor pad. This might all seem very normal except for the fact that Jesse is severely mentally and physically retarded. He has been in a wheel chair and totally dependent on other people his entire life. He doesn't know any other way to be. When I drew this picture, I wanted it to be a representation of what Jesse was probably doing in his mind at the time. You see he has very little communication skills. So, I always wondered what was going on in there. Was he dreaming of jumping and playing outside?
I guess I will never know. He lives in a group home now, with three other guys. He seems very happy there. I seriously worry a lot less about him than I do any of my other nephews and kids. He is very well taken care of and safe. When you sit with him, I think you get the communication that you need. Life is more simple than you think. In some ways he has already achieved many of our goals in life, a carefree lifestyle, hanging out with your buddies and freedom from financial worries. God is good. All the time. God is good.
My dream is to be able to teach other kids what Jesse knows. How to bring your thoughts to life outside your mind. Get that down on paper. I think the most primal way to do that is to draw it. It seems simple but, often isn't. We get caught up in what other people think. Jesse doesn't have that problem. He just doesn't care. We are burden sometimes with caring, too much. Which may be something that we can create from to share with others.
