A Boy Of Many Colors.

I want to tell you a story, those who read this. A story about a boy who opened my eyes to a whole new world. A world that I'm not special enough to see.

His name is Logan.

Logan has Autism.

I've posted about him before, and his mom (Kristy). Their whole family is amazing, and have welcomed me into it with open arms and Bud Lights open.

Logan's journey hasn't been the easiest, nor has it been the hardest. And though it may be easy for you to say "Oh, gosh. Autism? I don't know how I could handle my kid going through that.", I can guarantee it's not a death sentence, it's not a national disaster. Spend a day with this kid and he will open your eyes quick.

You see, Logan gets to see the world completely different. A lot of us see it through jaded eyes, second guessing everything everyone does, doubting our every step. This boy? He gets to live. Really LIVE. He gets to see the world in all its glory. He gets to believe in magic. He gets to go out in the world and own it. In some ways, I'm jealous that he gets to be this way. I wish that we could all see it the way he does.

Logan has the greatest family he could ever ask for. And he deals with them on a daily basis, not the other way around. (Truth, the family's kind of crazy, which is why I mesh with them so well.) He's blessed so much more than any of us could even wish to be, and yet the world side steps around him because, what, he has Autism? The world is missing out. Autism IS NOT a disease. It's NOT a curse. An estimated 1 in 88 kids born have Autism. And the only thing holding them back is YOU. The "normals", whatever that means. With your big ignorance-filled hammer, you smack a label down on these kids, these tiny humans, these AMAZING children, and refuse to understand.

And that's why I'm doing the St. Louis 2013 Color Run.

http://thecolorrun.com/stlouis/

This year, they're pairing with Autism Speaks, a charity to promote Autism awareness, something the world NEEDS. Ignorance isn't acceptable. Knowledge is. Get yourself educated.

I'm blessed to have a husband who is beyond supportive of this. Not only did he put in for vacation time the weekend of, he's choosing to do it with me. This guy has terrible knees, and he's STILL WANTING to do the whole 5K. Not even for me. For Logan.

And while we'll have enough money to cover registration, I'm not sure that we will have the money for the gas to get there and back, not to mention food.

Now, I'm sure when it comes down to it, we'll find a way to make it work. This whole thing literally happened in a matter of seconds for me, and started with a random "OHAI! Let's go look at the info for maybe next year!" on a whim. This is where we need the help.

I'm not asking for much. Prayers, positive thoughts, those are excellent. But what we could really use is donations. If 100 people just donated $1, we'd have enough money for gas. No joke.

I'm not asking you to donate. I'm not begging you to donate. But if in your heart you feel that you should/could/would help, we would greatly appreciate it. Something in the universe pulled me to this. I'm meant to do this. I know it.

Help us help Autism. Help us fight the ignorance. Help us to get people to SEE.