Autism Awareness

Hey everyone, it's me again! April is Autism Awareness Month, and in honor of EVERYONE on the spectrum, and especially my sweet nephew Tyler, I had to do this design. For those of us with a loved one on the autism spectrum, awareness goes FAR beyond April. It's every single day. Autism parents/caretakers/guardians fight constantly for them. Autism warriors are all around the world, and they will never stop fighting. Autism means many different things to different people, and I wanted to share what it is to me. This is something I wrote 5 years ago:

To me, Autism means seeing the world in a completely different way than most people. It means seeing people in a totally different light. It's seeing everything good in the world that's hidden from others. It means not being able to deal with some things that other people don't think twice about.

It's also watching a little boy love everyone around him, and get his heart broken multiple times when some of those people just don't return the love in the way that he needs. It's watching a 4-year-old little boy insist on getting a hug from the propane guy, who he'd never seen before that day, before the guy can leave the house (that will ALWAYS be my favorite Ty-ty moment). It's watching his mother fight the school system for practically every little thing he needs. It's knowing that no matter how crappy my day has been, if I get to see that boy, everything's going to be better. It's watching that same boy be able to bond with animals that many other people can barely even get close to.

But most of all, it means LOVE. Pure, clean, undying, unconditional LOVE.

I will always see autism this way. I don't see it as a disease, or a problem. It's hard, I know. But those with autism are blessed to see the world differently. They may see the bad in the world, but they're able to see so much more good than the rest of us can. Learn from them. Your world may become a bit brighter and happier.

Normally this is where I would put a list of the products used, but I want this one to just focus on the message. Love each other, and be kind to all.