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"Sissy! Look Jess! It's Sissy!" My heart warmed at the sight of my fifteen-year-old brother. As he approached with our younger cousin on his heals, I could see the excitement on his face and the paper held tightly in his hand.

"Sissy, I made three 'A's'! L...L...Look here," he stuttered, "three 'A's' sissy!" Jess was tugging at his pants desperately trying to get his attention. "See here Sissy! I g...g...got an A in behavior, an...n...n A in Math and...and...an A in speech!"

His fingers were hitting the paper and his eyes would meet mine with each show of the good grade to make sure I seen the 'A' and all it's glory. His excitement over the grades and seeing me at the same time were almost too much and all I could do was smile and say, "Yeah, wow, that's great!"

As he carried on with his bragging session, Jess became more and more indignant, "Michael, what is two times two?" she asked. He had been swatting at her as if she were some annoying fly but suddenly he stopped and said, "I dddon't know." Jess teasingly rolled her eyes and retorted, "But you just said you got an A in Math." I watched as his ears began to redden from frustration and the realization of what she was saying hit him. Then, as if a light bulb went off he simply stated, "Yeah, well duh, I ride the short bus!"

There are many heroes in life. There are many people who display attributes that would like to incorporate into my own life. However, my brother, who struggles to express himself, who has been ridiculed and outcast, who faces obstacles in performing the simplest of tasks has taught me more and given me more strength than any other person I've known. Michael is my hero.

Although Michael is autistic and faces much difficulty in things that come natural to others, he possesses characteristics that are not easily found in the common man or what society considers 'normal' people. His simple view on life is refreshing and inspiring. When I make life complicated, which he refers to as 'The Pit', he makes it simple.

He possesses a divine wisdom and calmness when it comes to matters of the heart. Even still, he struggles to express himself on every other matter in life including his own feelings. He gets frustrated and angry when he needs to get something out and can't. But, he can spend an hour with someone and see into their soul. Of course, he normally doesn't warm up quickly. But, if he finds the person to be a good person, he waits for the right moment and he touches them spiritually. Or, as he

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