Make a Difference

     I originally intended to start this blog to highlight my art and photography, but while I was reading an article in a photography magazine, I realized that I needed to make this blog about the people in this world that are the "lost edges".
     In the article, the author, who was also a professional portrait photographer, shared an experience that made me realize that what he saw was not at all uncommon. He wrote about a family that came into his studio to have a family portrait taken, except one member of the family was not "allowed" to sit in with the rest of the group. The 10-year old son was made to wait in the lobby while his parents and siblings had their group portrait taken. The reason given for not including the son was that the parents were concerned that he might somehow cause an embarrassing scene because of his autism. That moved the photographer so deeply that he and his wife started a project where they only focused on children with autism, and they have since published a very good book on the subject.
     I have to admit that my knowledge of autism is on a very basic level. What I knew, or thought I knew, about autism was limited to a few movies or talk shows that I had seen and those seemed to portray the caregivers, usually parents, as being saddled with a monster, or a problem that could not be overcome. I know that I am not alone, as there are many who share my lack of education when it comes to autism. But that is changing, due to now having a member of my family who is autistic.
     Autistic people are just one example of members of society that the mainstream would rather just stay in the shadows and remain a lost edge, whose details only come out upon closer examination. Our nation was founded on the belief that "all" men (people) are created equal and have certain basic rights. Yet too many times, we act like the proverbial ostrich and stick our head in the sand, hoping a problem will go away. Or, like the child that covers his head when frightened by a sound in the dark, we think that if we cannot see a problem, then it does not exist.
     We can put our spare change in the container near the cash register, or during the holidays, we can drop some money in the red kettle and pat ourselves on the back and feel good for a while that we did something good. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either one of those and God bless those of you that do give of your spare change. But sometimes it takes more than money to bring the lost edges into the light.
     From time to time we need to look into the shadows, take notice of the homeless, the handicapped, the veterans, the children, the elderly, and many more that go unnoticed or ignored because of age, physical condition, mental capacity, gender, or even social status. It doesn't have to take all your time, and I am not suggesting that you give up everything and set out on a crusade to do good. But you can make a difference, sometimes with just a word, or kind gesture.
     Even in today's complex society, a touch on the shoulder from another person can lift spirits. Listening, as a veteran talks about times we cannot imagine lets them know they are heard. Reading to a child in a hospital can take their minds off of what they must face, if even for a little while. We all have something we can give, even if it is just a smile.
     My grandmother once told me that we are not responsible for the actions of others, but we are responsible for our reactions to them. I sincerely hope that we can find some way to look for the lost edges in our lives and make a difference.