First Grill Of The Season 🌭🍔

 On Monday, May 18th, my stepdad JW brought out the grill for the first time since the weather finally warmed up. It felt like one of those moments that quietly signals a new season—summer getting closer.

As someone on the autism spectrum, I’ve always been a visual learner. I pick up on things by watching—how people move, how they do things, the little details others might overlook. So even though I already had an idea of how to grill from watching my stepdad JW last summer, I still found myself locked in, observing everything again.

The way he handled the food, how he checked the grill, the timing—it all stood out to me.

My brother David and I helped by grabbing a couple of cornbread pans, lining them with parchment paper, and bringing them outside with the hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausages. Being part of the process felt important, even in a small way.

But what really stuck with me wasn’t just the cooking—it was the moment.

At one point, JW had his earbuds in, completely in his own world. He was listening to music, dancing, just vibing. David and I started laughing because he was definitely off-beat—but he didn’t care. He was enjoying himself, fully present.

And that’s something I notice a lot as someone with autism.

I tend to observe before I jump in. I take in the details, the energy, the environment. Sometimes that means I’m quieter in moments—but it also means I see things deeply. I notice joy in ways that might go overlooked, like someone dancing off rhythm but still feeling the music.

That moment reminded me that connection doesn’t always come from talking—it can come from simply being there, watching, and appreciating.

For dinner, we had hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausages—and everything tasted just right. But honestly, it wasn’t just about the food.

It was about the feeling.

The laughter.

The small, real moment that turned into a memory.

And for me, those are the moments that matter most.

• Daniel Gillespie

Today I helped my Stepdad with the grill. 

For the first holiday of the season. 

I helped him move it out from the basement up to the back door outside to the backyard. 

Then I took the rest of the parts of the grill

from the basement and brought them outside. Then we did some hard work before we got to sit down and eat. First I had to get my stepdad’s bucket of tools out so he can find the right screws to tighten back up the arms of the grill. I had to hold it steady to make sure that the screws won’t fall off the hole. It took us a while to get both of them on, but we did it. But as someone who is on the spectrum I’m more of a hands-on learner than a visual learner and sometimes I really struggle with other people who are more visual learners than hands-on for me but then after that, we took a water break. Then my brother ended up coming from work to help prepare the food. We brought the pans in the aluminum foil in and the parchment paper and oven mitts. 

My brother Danny had brought the grilled

hamburgers, hotdogs, and sausage. 

And after that, we got down to business. 👨‍🍳

• David Gillespie