I was born in December of 1996. I am the last in my family to be born and am reminded of that fact constantly. I have two older brothers, Zachariah and Jonathan. While my oldest brother, Zach, is seven years older than me, he's the one with whom I'm closest. It's not that I don't love Jon Jon; in fact I love him more than a lot of people understand. Life is completely different with a sibling on the autism spectrum.
First of all, communication does not work how you think it does. I connect with Jon Jon, not through speech and eye contact, but with movies and music. He loves movies, especially Disney movies (don't we all though, really?). J.J. can repeat every line of most movies that he's seen. I love that. We have inside jokes and he knows exactly what to say; he's a truly amazing person. He recognizes emotions; not like I do, but he does. He knows when I need a hug and he asks me when he needs one. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He loves unconditionally. No matter how many times I hurt him when we were younger, he still missed me when I went away for the weekend. I don't think I can say that about anyone else.
Growing up wasn't nearly as easy as it is now; don't get me wrong, life with J.J. isn't all butterflies and flowers now, but growing up was worse. I didn't understand why my brother was different; for a while I just wished he was 'normal.' We used to beat each other up, steal food from one another and generally just fight over everything. I thought he hated me. It took me until about high school to realize that he's the most normal person I know and he could not love me more. That still didn't make high school the easiest. A lot of the time, I felt like I was older, and in some ways I am. Though Jon has a job and makes money on his own, he will never be able to live by himself. He relies on our parents for food, shelter and other similar day-to-day needs. It kind of breaks my heart that the person that deserves it the most can't ever live a life on his own.
That doesn't mean he doesn't live his own life. Like I said, he loves movies. He also is one of the most artistic and patriotic people I know. The Fourth of July is his favorite holiday and you cannot separate him from the fireworks. He absolutely loves dogs; we call him the dog whisperer, and every dog loves him. J.J. has the biggest heart and I am proud to call him my big brother.
Having a brother that is differently abled has taught me many lessons. The most important is that no matter how different, the size of your heart is what matters most. I wouldn't trade Jon or Zach for anything (no matter how much I want a sister). They both have been my best friends and they both have taught me how to love unconditionally no matter who you are or where you come from.
Happy 23rd birthday Jon Jon! -- Hannah Banana
