Celebrating World Autism Awareness: A Journey of Rediscovery Through Photography

Stan has often reminisced about his childhood in the 1960s, where he always felt like an outsider without understanding why. School was a constant struggle, the lessons feeling senseless, leaving him bored and disconnected. Despite his photographic memory, reading and spelling remained elusive mysteries. Instead of focusing on classroom teachings, he often found himself gazing out the window, captivated by the world beyond. Labeled as a "slow learner" and even "retarded" he faced discouragement, with teachers predicting a bleak future due to his learning disability.

By 16, Stan abandoned traditional schooling, finding solace in hands-on work on oil rigs, relishing the challenges they presented. Our paths crossed occasionally over 25 years, but it wasn't until our forties, following the sudden loss of my husband, who was also his close friend, that we grew closer.

Initially, Stan struggled with eye contact, a trait common in Asperger's Syndrome, which we discovered he had alongside dyslexia. Unearthing these truths shed light on his unique learning style, unrecognized in his youth.

The collapse of the oil industry in his fifties thrust Stan into a realization: nature had always been his sanctuary. Taking up photography, he discovered a new passion, delighting in mastering the intricacies of his camera and sharing his encounters with wildlife. I've witnessed remarkable moments, from owls perching nearby to an Alaskan brown bear grazing peacefully in his presence. Most profound was his encounter with Ma'ah, a 19-year-old spirit bear, who meandered the fishing stream and then walked directly up to him and gazed into his lens with an almost ethereal connection.

To those who doubted him in the past, Stan proves them wrong every day. Through his photography, he has become a conduit between humanity and nature, transcending ordinary connections to form bonds that touch the soul. He is my everything, a testament to the beauty of embracing differences and finding one's true passion, all thanks to his different learning ability.