I like many people spend part of my Labor Day Holiday watching the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. I have watched since I was a child. I always tried to stay up with Jerry, but I usually did not make it all night. This year was no different. Years ago I was too young to stay up all night. Now I am to old too handle all nighters.

The reason I watch is simple. I have a cousin that suffered from muscular dystrophy. He went to heaven at the age of eighteen. He spent many years battling this disease. Crafty, my sister and I were a little younger than Cousin G. We also lived half a country away from each other, but when my family went to visit we always were instantly friends.

We would stay at my Grandparents house in this small town in the Midwest and I remember waking early and pestering my mom, Grandma M to take us to see Cousin G. Early on, he wore braces on his legs and eventually he had to use a wheelchair. We would go to his house and either play games or watch TV. Sometimes my Dad, Grandpa DingDon would take us all to the community pool. Grandpa DingDon would then lift Cousin G from his wheel chair and place him in the pool. Cousin G could stand in the pool. I think that was the only time I remember him standing.

This was a long ago time when kids were aloud to roam free. I remember pushing Cousin Gin in his wheel chair to a nearby park to see Cousin G’s Dad who worked at the park. I remember watching his Dad drive the lawn mowing machine. At that time, that machine was impressive to me because until then I only saw my Dad operating a lawn mower in our yard.

The three of us had quite a few adventures. My most favorite was pushing Cousin G up the hill near my Grandparent’s house. We would push him all the way to the top and then Crafty and I would hop on the wheelchair and the three of us would ride all the way  down the hill laughing and yelling the whole way.

One time we were in my Grandparent’s back yard and we were tipping Cousin G’s wheel chair backward and spinning it around. I remember Cousin G’s hardy laughter that day. Well, at one point we must of tipped him too far because we tipped him over backwards and he ended upside down with his head on the cement and his legs up in the air. Believe or not, Cousin G was still laughing. My Grandpa was not. I think he said something like, “You girls stop messing around!” That was after he picked up Cousin G.

Another day, the three of us went exploring and wound up past my Grandparent’s house close to a neighbor’s house. We were just hanging out when we spotted a mailbox on the road. I not sure why, but we starting pelting the mailbox with rocks. We were pretty good shots because after awhile we pretty much destroyed the mailbox. I still have know idea what possessed us to do this. Eventually we figured we had better stop and get back because if someone caught us we would surely be in a lot of trouble. We were never caught and I only recently confessed this act to Grandma M. I think it is safe to say that the statute of limitations has run out on that crime.

Anyway, I still think about Cousin G frequently, especially on Labor Day. I also think about him when I watch Star Trek because we wrote many letters to each other and mostly the subject was Star Trek. I do not know what became of those letters. I suppose when you are a child, you do not think of what might have sentimental value later.

I do have my memrories though, Those I cherish. Especially because my Cousin G taught me a very important lesson. He taught me to be tolerant of people with disabilities. I never once made fun of someone with a disability. There has been a lot of people in my like with some kind of a disability and honestly, I never even think much about it.

So, even though the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon is over, Jerry’s kids still need to be helped. My cousin never got out of his wheel chair, but maybe someone else’s cousin can.

To you, Cousin G, Thanks for the wheel chair rides!