By John Carson
-BRYAN IS NOW SPONSORED FOR BEACH CHRISTMAS-
Bryan is our little old man teen at the building. He has requested a button down shirt, dress slacks and New Balance tennis shoes for his Christmas outfit. Not making that up. It’s like he is Steve Carrell’s character in “Crazy, Stupid Love." Bryan is funny much of the time and at some times, a little annoying. There are these times that he will just walk up and stand there, just to be near you. As annoying as that is sometimes, I try to remind myself that he is doing that because he needs someone. He comes to us from children's homes and the street with no one to really deeply care for him. He has never had a love shown to him like we try to show.
I was really concerned at one point this summer when Bryan was being extremely rude and ridiculous, which resulted in him being kicked out for almost a week. That was scary because he has severe epilepsy which can give him a lot of seizures if he isn’t taking his medicine. I remember talking to him when he came back in with bloody wounds on his face and arms from falling during a seizure. I remember saying to him, “Bryan, you have a great opportunity here to be loved and to make something good of your life; but if you decide on continuing out in the street with your medical condition, you could die. Nobody here wants that, and I don’t think you do either, but we need you to love and help us as much as we love and help you.”
And I’m grateful that he has chosen to love and help us since then, and I hope he will continue to do so. He is always quick to come to the workshop to work with me on projects and is very excited about the opportunity we are exploring to be able to make and sell woodworking and other things here. I hope that you will consider making Bryan’s first Beach Christmas with us a special one and let us continue to shower him with love he’s never known.