[NFBV-Winchester] Same with Chapter members and friends

[Chris Walker]

I wanted to share this with everyone. Either spoken or unspoken how we can touch the lives of people and the effects we have.
I appreciate you all!
At 9:21 AM, Julie Johnson, Chris, you probably don't remember me, but you have been  a really important part of my life for some time.  I met both you and Jim very briefly at a NFB convention years ago, I think in Orlando.  I sell dog products and we talked about your toy poodle briefly.  Anyway, back then I was in a horrible marriage.  My husband was an alcoholic, very emotionally removed from me and not really interested in doing anything different.  I wanted to leave, I knew I needed to leave, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I thought he didn't hit me, so was it really that bad? We had nice things, the bills were paid.  And somehow it wasn't enough.  Every morning I would get up and read your facebook posts about you and Jim, the things you were doing together, the small quiet meaningful moments and I wanted that.  I wanted someone who said I love you and knew what it meant.  I wanted someone to travel with, to go out to dinner, to visit friends and really live life.  I read your posts every day and learned what it meant to be in a loving, healthy, emotionally committed relationship.  Things went from bad to worse.  He drank himself into unconsciousness, fell and hit his head hard enough to cause a brain injury.  He had brain surgery, refused alcohol rehab, refused vocational rehabilitation, kept on drinking, went to the emergency room a couple more times for drinking related accidents, eventually losing the family business.  He then spent three years sitting on the couch, drinking, watching reruns on TB, and nothing else, no bathing, no changing into clean clothes, no leaving the house, no taking his medication, not really eating, just beer, TV and that couch all day every day for three years.  The money from the sale of the business was dwindling, he refused to even look for work, my income was not enough to support our lifestyle, but he refused to cancel cable, the newspaper subscription, move to a smaller house or sell his fancy pick up truck.  I was miserable, scared and starting to get a bit desperate.  Every morning I read your motivational quotes and updates about what you and Jim were doing. In the fall of 2019 I decided to leave. Your words of encouragement kept me going through those next few months, making all the phone calls, meeting with the lawyer, buying my own home, moving, deciding what to cook for dinner and my totally crazy moments of exhilerating freedom when I would do things like hang up orange curtains or crank up the music and make cupcakes.  They were simple things, but I had learned from you that it was the simple things that really mattered.  Two years ago I reconnected with the love of my life.  We were together many years ago, but were young and needed to each grow up and learn what being in a relationship means.  Our relationship is healthy, we talk about all sorts of things, we travel together, we garden, do home projects, eat at new restaurants, have friends over, go to visit people and I am so very happy.  I have been meaning to write to you for quite some time, but never seemed to get around to it.  I regret that I didn't sooner so Jim could also read this.  I am very sorry for your loss.  I hope writing this now isn't inappropriate or disrespectful.  I don't mean it that way at all.  I wanted you, and Jim, to know how much you have been encouraging and given me hope in some of my darkest moments.  Thank you for your honesty, your keeping it real and your willingness to share your lives.  It has meant a lot to me.

Chris Walker
President, Winchester Chapter
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia
540.303.0080
chrisvinson1 at gmail.com

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You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
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