Picture perfect memory. This is often said in moments of surprise when someone is able to recall a situation or event in perfect detail.

It is a rainy and cold February night in north Texas. The wind is brisk and chaps your face as you go from home to car to building. Being confined to the indoors can be tough on Sam because his body is in constant motion. There is often a song playing in his head and this drives his need for movement. For a long time, these internal songs have come from the David Crowder Band. Crowder rocks our walls constantly and the boys can never get enough. When Sam was young he often had little control of his body. Legs moving, arms twitching, head nodding, eyes blinking at an increased and noticeable rate. Many of these characteristics are common traits of Autism. Through lots of different therapies, learning more about his sensory diet and how to manage his need for movement.........Sam has developed a pretty cool way to handle all this internal demand for movement. Sometimes you have to look at him very closely before you realize how hard he is working to manage his body's need for motion.

On this cold and dreary day, Sam was in fantastic spirits. We had the final game of the bowling season for Miracle League of Frisco, a family birthday party to attend and a rental from Blockbuster (we did it the old fashion way....we walked into the store!). After little Super Hero's (Luke) nap, we did what everyone else does.....we went to Super Target to chill with the hairdryers and hang out on the Super Hero aisle. Life is good!

After coming home, me and the boys hit the kitchen table casually while mom was making dinner. If you're picturing Leave It To Beaver then tonight you are right on. Hello June. Hello Boys. I pick up a placemat that has a picture of the United States and the Capitals. When Sam was five he could whip out every one of these without stopping. Now, two years later, I wanted to see if this was still the case. Given we just returned from D.C., this would be a good geography follow-up to the trip. I started peppering him with States in the most unorganized fashion possible. He never once hesitated, he never once made a mistake, he never once became anxious, he never once had to sit and think about a response......as soon as I said a State, he fired off the Capital. After 30 or so States he thought I was going slow so he would say a Capital and then say it a second time with a funny little twist. He did this while nibbling on his turkey sandwich.

When we were finished I looked at him and realized, I can ask my son what he is thinking and he can now finally tell me what it is he sees with his mind's eye. He said a picture of the map. Angie walked over and asked what was on the picture. He simply said the states. She asked him if the picture had the little yellow stars on each State representing the Capital with the name next to it. "No, just the States. I know the Capitals you silly," Sam replied with a giggle and ran off.

As I have mentioned previously, Sam never forgets a birthday, name, address, phone number, song track, the length of a song, movie chapter, length of a movie and never forgets a State or Capital. This is an amazing gift which can be used in so many incredible ways.

Whether he is playing music, creating amazing works of art, writing code for hours, shooting films, or writing about the love of his life......I know that Sam will be blessed to have an enormous library of life's art to pull from in all his creative endeavors. All of his memories are matched with a song and stored for safe keeping. Innovation is often the result of passionate experiences melding with human needs. I can't wait to see what Sam does with his gifts. Who knows, maybe the world needs more of what Sam has........