Never Say Never

This week my brother who has a pretty good mix of learning disabilities, (he could not even read until after 7th grade) was married to a wonderful woman named Jill in the Salt Lake Temple.  It was beautiful! When he was 12 and still acting like he was 5, none of us ever imagined that this could be possible for him.  In the last few years he has really grown up (not that he doesn't have a long way to go, but who doesn't).

Growing up he despaired at times that he would never have a normal life.  He used to think he was garbage sometimes because he just couldn't seem to understand things, or get things right.  He would cry and sob and tell us "you are normal you don't understand what it is like to be me.  I will never be able to make it through college, I will probably never get married, who will marry me?  I will never have kids.  I will always be alone."  He started trying to date a couple of years ago.  He was introduced to another girl with disabilities and he was so sweet to her.  He planned everything around her.  He bought her huge gifts for valentines and Christmas.  He did almost anything she wanted to do.  They both loved being able to say they had a boyfriend/girlfriend and being able to hang out with their married or dating friends and feel normal.

The problem was that this girl was not nearly as ready for a relationship as Matthew was.  Developmentally and socially she was pretty far behind him.  She would barely let him touch her and never kiss her.  She spent most of the time at our home hanging out with my sister and not Matthew.  She just was not ready for a real relationship yet.  This lasted a little over a year and Matthew was getting a little frustrated.  One day he just decided that he had been taught his whole life what to do to ask for something you really wanted and that he was going to try the principle.  He fasted a number of times and for long periods.  He then went to the temple and prayed so hard and really had faith that a miracle could happen for him.  He came home and told us all that he felt strongly that he was going to be married withing a year.  We all thought that is not really possible Matt but we didn't want to crush him.
He said he had tickets to a Real Salt Lake game and if I could put him on LDS singles to see if he could get a date to the game.  I helped put his profile on and quickly a wonderful girl responded that she would like to go with him.  Matt met her at the game and that is that, they have been inseparable ever since.  We all thought that no one could look past his disabilities and see the amazing Matthew that we all knew, but Jill did! sometimes I think she sees him clearer than the rest of us.  Now less than a year later Matthew is married and on his honeymoon.  I hope and wish the best of everything for them!  They may face more obvious challenges than some of us but with Matthew's faith that can bring about miracles, and the love I have seen them have for each other, I believe that they have a better chance of making it through those obvious trials than many of us do at making it through the ordinary yet unforseen ones.
Best wishes, luck and love sent out to you Matt and Jill.  I hope you have everything you ever need, and that that love you have will truly continue to bring miracles into your life!

Carly, your big sis

 

P.S. The wedding pics on the right were taken by Wesley our Family Historian :)