PAYING TRIBUTE TUESDAYS

There are many people I meet on a regular basis that sometimes I want to pay tribute to.  Of course there are many ways to pay tribute however prior to writing this post, i wanted to first define "to pay tribute." The noun TRIBUTE has 3 senses:
1. something given or done as an expression of esteem
2. payment by one nation for protection by another
3. payment extorted by gangsters on threat of violence

So clearly the 2 and 3 are not the definition i am going to use today to pay tribute to this person.  The first tribute is "a kind of approval and commendation: which fits perfectly into what i want to do.  I want to commend this person for who they are and what they do to a certain cause that is close to my heart and wish that everyone would have the same kind of heart. 

She is a daughter, sister, friend, woman, student, playmate, advocate, caregiver and other hats that she may need to put on.  The hat she wears everyday the most is the sister, friend, caregiver, playmate and advocate of her younger brother who has autism.  To see them play together, whisper to each other and share a laugh with one another is such a lovely sight to see.  Sometimes in the autism world filled with confusion and chaos, it is wonderful to see such a display of love and warmth between her and her brother.  A smile spreads across my face when i see him reaching out to hug and kiss her.  It definitely brightens up my day. 

She is warm and gentle with him and even though he can and has become aggressive toward her, she soothes and calms him down as much as possible.  She is an advocate for him at school, in community and at home.  She put on an event for other children with special needs so that her brother and other children can have an opportunity to engage in activities that they enjoy and like. 

One of the things i admire about  this person is her willingness to sacrifice for the well being of her brother and that's amazing because not many people will sacrifice their time, energy and effort into a sibling with special needs (as human beings, we can be selfish for many reasons).   She has been self-less in her many roles toward her brother and  for this i COMMEND her. 

Furthermore, I have seen the power of love in display (i know that sounds very celine dion-ish) by knowing this person and i will forever be grateful and for this i COMMEND her.   I also COMMEND her advocacy for autism, which is an incredibly difficult childhood disorder with many promises and hopes, visit this website for more details: www.autismspeaks.com.

Definitely ladies and gents (i don't know if i have any gents following me but you never know) there are individuals you've met and or know that you want to pay a tribute to.  Or a cause that you are interested in. Please feel free to share...Miss. Pancakes wants to know!