[Nfb-krafters-korner] Thanksgiving News

[qubit]

Hi all -- You know, as far as using other senses, I think blindness can be a 
blessing in some ways in that we can notice what happening with the other 
senses.  From what I've observed, many people are so extremely visual in 
their thinking that they can't do the simplest thing without looking at it 
with their eyes.   It can rob a person of their enjoyment of their 
surroundings, or their ability to navigate.
I speak in particular of my mother who is 86 and lives with me.  She is 
battling macular degeneration right now and trying to stay brave about it. 
She fortunately is getting the eye injections that reverse the degeneration, 
and because of it she is still able to read and drive.  But the disease is 
still progressing slowly.
She tells me if or when her vision goes completely, she could never stand to 
use jaws.    (Well, some days I feel the same way, but that's another 
email.*smile*)
Anyway, doing things like connecting a clasp or dialing the phone or any 
little task that I have never used sight for, she has to run to get the 
magnifier and do it strictly by sight.
In her favor, I do need sighted assistance at times and it is nice to be 
able to call her.  But in other areas it amazes me what she needs sight for.

One consequence of all this is that our memories of the same event are very 
different.  She will ask me now and then if I remember one incident or 
another, and she will describe the whole event visually.    I will say "you 
mean that's what happened?" and I will describe what I remember which is all 
nonvisual.
Anyway, happy krafting.
--le

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carla Roller" <croller614 at gmail.com>
To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 26, 2010 8:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Thanksgiving News


Believe it or not, I've been blind since I was 3. When my son was born, I 
had a very hard time accepting that I would never see his smile, never watch 
him play, and a million other terrible thoughts that had never occurred to 
me until then. One day, I was singing to him and I forgot the words to my 
song. I began to laugh at myself and he laughed with me. It was then that I 
finely began to heal. I still have my moments, but I realize that I have so 
much that I can see in other ways. I've learned to take sounds and smells, 
and anything else I can grab hold to and try to burn them in to my memory. 
This probably doesn't sound like much, but it is what has helped me get past 
many sad days. Carla
_______________________________________________
Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
Nfb-krafters-korner:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/lauraeaves%40yahoo.com