Disability or Challenge?

This is a great question concerning blindness and if nothing else one which deserves and requires sincere contemplation and thought. I recently came across this great essay by Kenneth Jernigan called "Blindness- A Left Handed Dissertation." Maybe it will help you come to a conclusion on whether you think blindness is a disability or a challenge but either way you will definitely have a greater awareness. It will open your eyes and show you that without realizing it society can really make things difficult for people who are not "normal". On a side note, I am including a pic of Allison! So proud of her for accepting the CHALLENGE and riding the bus to school everyday on her own! Way to Go Sweetheart!

Grasp

Not long after we came to the realization that Allison was blind I had a very long and good conversation with my next door neighbor about the situation. Jill and I have always seemed to be blessed with great neighbors. The Brown's were no exception. As Jack and I were talking one morning he said something that really struck and stuck with me! He said "what a blessing it will be to have the privilege of describing the world to your children, in large part they will see the world through your eyes". In reality this is true for all parents but for us it seems even more so. The responsibility of such a task was a little overwhelming to handle at the time. As years have passed I have thought about this over and over and asked myself, "How am I doing at describing the world to my children?" Some days I think I'm doing pretty well and then other days I think I am failing miserably! Where I usually fail is in describing the small and seemingly insignificant details. Like the fact that apples can be red and not just green. That when we say a person's eye is blue it doesn't mean the whole thing. If you want to understand what I am talking about there is a great write up done by a dad who has a much better grasp on describing details than I do for his blind daughter. The article is called "Dad, Where's the plunger?"


I just want to encourage all parents to remember the small stuff. So many times we assume our children are picking up on things we are trying to teach them or want them to know but yet we haven't verbalized it in detail to them. So many times I see Christian parents who have good expectations for their children but yet they have never stated those expectations to them. Somehow, they thought that their children would just magically pick them up along the way! I want to encourage you to help them grasp the specifics of what it means to live a Christ like life. Sometimes we are so focussed on the big picture, the end result, the goals, that we forget to talk about the little things! We go from A-Z and forget that there are important letters in between. Someone once told me "It's not the height of the mountain that will keep you from getting to the top, it's the little pebble in your shoe". My dad always used to tell me "Jon, if you take care of the little things the big things will take care of themselves". Make sure they aren't just seeing the big picture on the box but that they are grasping all the pieces that bring it together!

Thunder Dog

I really don't like that I do it but I do. There is no excuse! The truth is that I am guilty of giving in to a temptation that all parents face. It seems that I am guilty of being over-protective. Well, when you have two blind children one might justify the fact that they are so or even just plain deny it based on necessity of circumstances. NO, the truth is that I am over-protective. Over-protective is even, really, just a nice way of saying "controlling parent full of worry and anxiety, scared to death something might happen to their kid". Ok, now that that is off my chest let me tell you about a wonderful book.

The story of Michael Hingson and his guide dog Roselle and how they escaped from the 78th floor of the WTC on 9/11 is absolutely remarkable! You can check out an ad for the book called "Thunder Dog" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nRU4Rh2rBM
It is because of Michael's story that I decided to encourage my son and daughter to try riding a bike! Matthew absolutely loved it! Yes, a 5 year old blind boy learning to ride a bike.

I am so proud of my son and the courage that it takes to try. Don't gasp and think that I am throwing caution to the wind, I am not. I just refuse to be that person that limits my son from doing all that he can do or atleast trying. I am not going to disable him by my fear! He will get hurt and he will fall but I will be there (if at all possible) to help him back up. Thank you Michael Hingson!



"...Safety is from the Lord" Psalm 4:8
"...When I fall, I shall arise" Micah 7:8