THIS IS DEDICATED TO THOSE WITH BRAIN INJURIES…
For anyone who has a family member with a brain injury, I dedicate this to Vinnie and your loved one with great love, honor and respect:
This is a totally true story of immediate real love.
Vinnie was born broken…
I worked with Vinnie. I dealt with customers, but so did he. I took orders, money, provided coffee and such. Vinnie provided clean tables, floors, windows and such. He would ask anyone if he could help them, get them something, carry their food for them, and when they would thank him he would always say with a sweet, loving smile: “No problem.”
Vinnie was kind and polite to people and most people (except the very stupid and/or cruel) appreciated him and were kind in return.
Vinnie is a guy who I loved at first sight.
Why? Well first of all, as a child of God I am truly commanded to love all people; even my enemies and I have a lot of them…
There are different types of love: love for God, your spouse, your children, other family members and the Church, Israel, and strangers. The type of love I have for Vinnie is that as a protective sister to a young and innocent child. You see, Vinnie was born severe brain damage. Like everyone else, Vinnie needed love, attention, friends and protection.
Even before I was a Christian God impressed me with all kinds of love. One such love is for the mentally infirmed. In addition, ever since I was little, little girl I knew Black and White people could get married. I knew babies don’t go to Hell. I knew priests could get married and I knew there is no such thing as purgatory (God, by way, told me as a little girl: “Never be Catholic.”) The Almighty put these things in me even when I was that little girl being brought up in an ungodly and hard, hard atmosphere.
Selah.
So here I come, many years later, working at a part-time job (when my children were young) solely because I wanted to be with them before and after school.
And I met Vinnie.
Most people could immediately see Vinnie had brain damage.
However, not surprisingly, some people pay so little attention to their fellow man that they didn’t even notice Vinnie is not capable of deep, adult conversations, he wasn’t a manager and didn’t own the place… And yet, some people asked him these things! Go figure. To me, those people are completely unconcerned about their fellow man because they never really take a look. One guy even accused Vinnie of being prejudiced! How wrong that prejudiced man was! I loved it when this hateful man got a shot back from Vinnie when he called Vinnie rude! “You’re rude!” Vinnie will stand up for himself!
I have been always so thankful I respect and care about Vinnie and people like him. Remember my recent writing: HOMEROOM ROWDIES? I never liked jerks, even when I was ungodly, unholy: even as a past sinner like I was, I had some type of standards and I had and still have no tolerance for cruelty against brain damaged people! Amen and amen!
I made friends with Vinnie immediately. He was friendly back. There are many charming and cute things about my special brother, Vincent: and he is my brother in God’s Kingdom…
One was: because of his affliction, he couldn’t understand why my husband was the cook in the family (Duane loves to cook – I don’t!) Duane, of course, was respectful and kind to Vinnie also. Duane tried to explain to him that he wanted to cook, he really enjoys cooking. Vinnie never got that…
Another was: when I told Vinnie something about my hours and why I don’t work more, he couldn’t get that either. I was intelligent enough to explain things on his level and in different ways and yet, there were times he simply could not understand… Not his fault. Not his bad.
Vinnie is a total victim. He is as pure and holy as a newborn babe. In fact, I have often told Duane that when Vinnie dies I fully believe I will not cry, not shed one tear. Why? It’s obvious to we children of God: we fully know and believe fully Vinnie will shoot straight up to Heaven. He is incapable of understanding the Gospel. He is innocent.
Vinnie found out that we bless him. Over time in working with him, asking the manager about his health if he missed a day of work and protecting him from cruel coworkers, we started giving him Christmas gifts. And birthday gifts! He was never shy to ask for things! I love that! Once I had a cool coffee sippy cup that he really liked. He’d start out by asking: “Where’d you get that?” And he said: “My birthday’s coming up! I want a purple one.” Of course because of the love we gave each other I know he knew he’d get it! It was such a privilege to lavish love on this precious man God still created in His image and likeness.
Over all those years of working with him I protected him when needed. I was just like a mamma lion. If anyone messed with Vinnie I would tell him: “Vinnie, if _________________ is being mean to you tell ______________ (the manager.) It didn’t take long for the few people who were cruel to him to stop being mean to him when I was there! They knew I would speak in a normal voice and they knew they had very well back off! Thank God for that kind of love! Vinnie deserves it!
Later in years working with Vinnie, Duane started giving him a two-dollar bill. Duane loves to give them out. Often Vinnie would be by us both and see that money. We both decided to give him one every day Duane came in. Vinnie started work later than I did and would come in, sit down, relax, talk to customer friends and drink Diet Coke. He also started watching for Duane… He would say to me: “Did your husband come in yet?” or, “Was Duane here already?” It was so fun for Duane and me! Sometimes Duane would just hold the two-dollar bill close to Vinnie and at first, he wasn’t sure if he should take it. He was a fast learner! He’d have a great and beautiful happy grin on his face! Worth way more than two-dollars each day!!
He came to know that we would tease him! Duane and I treated Vinnie just like anybody else, but on his level of maturity. Never were we embarrassed to be his friend and family! In fact, I had always wanted to see him at the State Fair. Finally, one year we did and we stood talking to him and his companion for a while. God had blessed me again: loving Vinnie and being loved by him!
On a particular day for Vinnie’s birthday we told him we were coming in with his birthday gift. I wanted to come on a day off so I could spend a little time with him. Because of his affliction, when he came in he did his usual routine, making himself comfortable, getting his Diet Coke, newspaper, spreading things out on a table. On this particular visit, Vinnie made himself comfortable even though he saw us! He sat quite a distance away. When we knew he had seen us, we were certain he would come to where we were. But alas, we waited for him to come over, and waited and waited… Finally we decided: we had to go to him! Again, Vinnie didn’t get it…
Selah.
I’m thinking now of one day in winter where it was colder than usual at work. I visibly saw Vinnie shiver and I was quite unhappy about it. Duane and I immediately bought him an employee sweatshirt; in fact, later on two more because Vinnie, like most all of us, likes new things!
Vinnie is more than capable of giving love, receiving love and without any hesitation every wise person realizes Vinnie has great value! He didn’t need the blood of Jesus to forgive him because God sees him as innocent as a little boy. That exactly what his soul and spirit are! He is incapable of understanding so many things of God; but God has Vinnie’s heart and holds him in the palm of His hand.
Vinnie is a kind and loving afflicted man who knows when people are kind and when they are attacking him. God loves this man-child. Vinnie has nothing to be ashamed of.
Selah!
My point of this totally true story of immediate real love is this:
God created each and every brain damaged person. He created all of mankind in His likeness and in His image. He didn’t create or desire any infirmity, sickness, sin or evil. People like Vinnie are also victims of the Fall of Adam as we all are. These precious and beloved people have no ability to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and just as a pure and holy as a newborn babe, they certainly will shoot up straight to Heaven sooner or later! No doubt. No lie. I pray you all believe this!
For we people of God know the value of every man: the blood of Jesus, Lord and Savior of the world. Every brain injured adult, every child, every baby is just as precious to the God of all and He is jealous for them and will not let them be destroyed.
God loves Vinnie! And His Church does too!
Selah.
SCRIPTURAL TRUTHS FOR THIS JOY STORY:
Psalm 116:6
The Lord protects the simple (childlike); I was brought low [humbled and discouraged], and He saved me.
Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
2 Samuel 12:22-23
He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Matthew 19:13-15
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Growing up in a home without the love for God, an invalid father, heavy financial hardships, and tremendous (sometimes dangerous) discord is always difficult. Add on to that extreme shyness, a feeling of inferiority, and some may think this girl was rejected. But God’s hand was on her and His heart was for her. Today, Ann Marie Turner has performed many great services in Jesus’ name for the love of God and man; and for herself! She has ministered in the male correctional for over ten years. Along with this website, Ann is the author of Joy Stories, Volume One and The Free Incarcerated Man. Writing about the joy of the Lord and the victory that is available for a willing soul is one of Ann’s now greatest joys! Ann’s prayer for you is to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. Celebrate the God of the Bible and your personal victories in Christ unceasingly! Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.