Category Archives: blindness

The Blessing of Being a Princess

Song at Midnight Posted on by 

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are

Abbie Johnson Taylor
and

Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me.

Princess on a throne

This is a hard concept to get my head around. The last description anyone, including myself, would use for me is that of “princess”. And yet, according to Galatians 3:26, that is what I am.

for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. (NRSV)

The Bible says I’m the daughter of a King–and that makes me none other than a princess. The problem is, of course, being a princess often doesn’t look like what we see on TV or in movies. Nonetheless, as children of our Creator, there are things we’re asked to rule over–our children, animals in our possession, our home, our belongings.

Sometimes, instead of the image above, ruling looks more like this:

Catch Me If You Can–Blind Human Tries to Medicate Blind Cat

Blindies, unfortunately, tend to not be all that great with videography, because this episode would likely have netted me a very tidy sum on “America’s Funniest Pet Videos” or similar if I’d been able to record it.

It was Monday night, 11:25 pm. Husband Karl had gone to bed an hour earlier. I turned off “Murder she Wrote” and was going to go to bed when I realized that Sunny Kitty hadn’t gotten any sinus medicine the whole day. “Great!” I thought. “Now I’m gonna have to do it all by myself.” And I really needed to, cuz he was sneezing. I went out into the kitchen, got a half of a pill out of the bottle, wrapped it in bacon flavored pill masker, then did the logical thing, returned to my chair, & called him.

He profoundly ignored me. He’s a cat. What else could I expect? So I got up from my chair and started walking toward him. Blind though he is, he took off like a shot toward the bedroom, with me straggling behind. In the bedroom I got close and reached down to grab him. Fur brushed my hands as he ran straight for a few steps, took a sharp left, and headed back toward the living room. This went on for about 10 minutes until I finally caught him. I sat down in my chair, put him in my lap with his head on my shoulder, and blew in his face to open his mouth so I could insertt the pill. He swallowed hard, I held him till I was sure he’d swallowed it, , then let him go. I got up, turned to go to bed, felt something round under my foot, and realized it could be nothing other than the pill. I swore and again started after Sunny. For 10 minutes we ran–if you can call the slow motion thing we were doing running– from the living room to the bedroom and back again, till once more I finally caught him.

Back in my rocking chair, I made him assume the pill posture. Once again I blew in his face. I put the pill in his mouth. It ended up inside my shirt, stuck to the fibers. Now I really had a problem. It’s not easy holding a cat who wants to escape while extricating a slimy sticky pill from inside a shirt. I held onto his collar, and he promptly jerked his head, freeing himself using the breakaway. Round and round and round we went for 10 more minutes.

I shoved the pill into his mouth. Out it came between the arm and seat of the chair. Away he streaked. Ten more minutes of blindy hide-and-seek. Finally I caught him again. This time I got it down. It was well after midnight by time I finally got to bed. Husband Karl had an early doctor’s appointment, so sleeping in wasn’t an option, at least not for me. Sunny on the other hand, was doing quite well at it. Go figure!

Ruling, reigning, or dominion is not tyranny, though I suspect Sunny Kitty may have had a different idea. It is doing the best we know how to do for the people, animals, and things God has given us to care for. For most of us, our throne looks more like the trenches we occupy daily. Often, it looks pretty humiliating.

But the Bible in 2 Timothy 2:12 says:

“If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.”

There will come a day when we will reign with Jesus, if we but endure the present trenches–not because of anything we’ve done but because this is the way He wants it.

Lord, thank you for those things you’ve given me to take care of on this earth. Help me to do that every day to the very best of my ability. & when my time here has ended, may I reign with you in your heavenly place. In Jesus’s name, amen.

The Blessing of Desert Rain

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me.
and
Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Rain Falling on the Desert

I realize that even now the last thing some folks wanna see is rain. TX is reeling from flooding in the hill country. My sister was here from Chicago and said they had a glut of it. But when you live in the desert like me, where a quarter of an inch was the most rain we’d experienced this year, it’s like treasure from heaven.

It’s amazing the transformation that takes place. Brown parched vegetation turns a deep shade of green. Flowers literally raise their heads. Bird songs fill the air. It reminds me of Isaiah 35.

5  Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6  Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
7  The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8  And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
9  No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there,
10  and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
New International Version (NIV)

I wrote a song back in 2001–and sang it at church just 2 days before Sept. 11. Here are the lyrics.

Streams in the Desert

When the night is unrelenting and the silence gives way to fear,

When the darkness feels unending, and the road ahead’s unclear,

Then grant to me your vision

Of my life through your loving eyes,

And give me ears to hear your voice

Until the day arives–

Chorus: When the eyes of the blind are opened

And the ears of the deaf shall hear.

When the tongue of the mute will sing for joy,

And the lame will leap like a deer–

When streams will flow through the desert

To quench a thirsty land,

And every tear will be wiped from our eyes

By the touch of the Savior’s hand.

If you go before me,

I won’t be afraid

Keep my feet from stumbling,

And guide me in Your ways

And grant my greatest longing,

To hear you say “Well done!”

When at last my journey’s through,

And the day has finally come–

Chorus:

There will come a time when creation is whole again, when all things are made new. Sometimes it feels like a far distant promise, but through faith we know it’ll come to pass. Meanwhile, we can hope in that bright shining future when everything will be put right.

Lord, give those of us who are called by Your name a vision of the wonders that await, and help us stay the course until we receive what you have promised to us. Amen.

The Blessing of a Special Birthday

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are
Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me and

Abbie Johnson Taylor.


Sunny and Snickers

Today is Sunny Kitty’s 10th birthday, and we are celebrating this very special day w/him. Sunny and Snickers came home w/us from the All About Animals shelter on Mar 31, 2017. Sunny is the black cat in the picture and is a neutered male. Snickers is the tan-and-grey female. Sunny was 9 months at the time. Snickers was 4 months. He was blind. He also was sneezing and had a runny nose, which has proven to be a constant throughout our time together.

We kept them both in their crates for a bit, but Sunny was soon pawing at his and meowing, so, reluctantly, we let them out. He began walking around the house, emitting frequent little meows. I wondered aloud to husband Karl if he might’ve been echo locating, which is something that bats, dolphins, and blind humans do to navigate their world by listening to sound waves bouncing off objects. An hour later he was running around the place like he’d not only lived here forever but owned it as well.

3 days later I was trying to capture him for some reason, I dove toward him, and ended up breaking my wrist. Not exactly an auspicious start to his new arrival. Jesus and I have always had a bit of a tiff regarding his views on the blind leading the blind. I think it can have remarkable outcomes–He says we both fall in the manhole. Having said that, whether or not the blind leading the blind is a bad idea, I don’t know. I can tell you, however, that the blind chasing the blind definitively is not.

Because of his chronic sinusitis, his nose gets clogged up w/dried mucous, making it hard for him to smell his food. Obviously we keep his dish in the same place so he can find it, but even sighted cats who can’t smell their food don’t eat, and we basically daily have to give him saline nose spray as well as Flonase & an antihistamine pill in order to interest him in his meals. Sometimes he fights that, but mostly he seems to realize we’re trying to help and accepts the treatments gracefully.

We often call him “the Reverend Mr. Black” after the old 60’s folk song because he is such a gentle little spirit–except, of course, at the vet’s. He greets most everyone who comes in, and some folks, if he particularly likes them, he’ll stand in front of them meowing, demanding to be petted. In return, he rewards those who show him attention w/a rumbling pur that belies his small size.

Snickers takes advantage of his sight loss, smaller stature, & gentle nature at times–stealing his food and batting him w/her paws. Normally he’s incredibly chill about it, but if he gets tired of it all, he’ll hiss and growl once, and she skitters off to hide. She knows very well whose boss,–& it’s not her. The little black blind cat reigns silent and supreme.

We also call him our “shepherd” cat, because he’ll hang around us when we’re sick, often jumping into bed to lay down beside us, whereas normally, if he stays on our bed at all, it’s toward the foot.

All of his physical problems never seem to get him down, and he appears to enjoy his life here. I hope he does. We love him dearly, and I believe he feels secure and cared for here, and for a kitty, that’s probably as good as love gets.

We’ve had just a little over 9 years w/these 2 little treasures, and all I can say is, I think sometimes angels are equipped w/4 paws instead of wings. They have been wonderful sources of joy and laughter and love.

Happy birthday, Sunny. Your name fits you so well because you bring abundant sunshine into our lives, whether or not you can see it. We hope the Dear Lord will permit you to stay here many more years and that He’ll bless you w/the abundant joy you’ve given us.

The Blessing of Smart Glasses

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are

Abbie Johnson Taylor and

Lynda Lambert who shared the idea with me,


My brother, sister-in-law, and sister all came to visit this month. It was like a days-long family reunion, and what a good time it was! I referred to it in my last post when I talked about our trip to Wickenburg.

2 weeks ago sister Bev called and said she and her bestie Roz wanted to come over for a few minutes. We were going out to grandson Jaden’s birthday party in a couple hours, but, w/that proviso, I told them yes. Bev presented me w/a pair of Meta glasses. I had earlier shared w/her, brother Phil, and sister-in-law Nancy, my experience on Christmas where I used daughter Amanda’s meta glasses, and they told me about my daughter and grandkids standing by the Christmas tree in matching Christmas PJ’s. No one had told me that earlier, so it felt like having a little synthetic eyesight. It was fun and all, but I couldn’t justify spending the money. It was a cool luxury, but definitively not a need. Now, suddenly, I had my own.

They helped me get them set up. I’m sure I could’ve done it, but not nearly as fast. Then one of them gave me a newspaper, and I read it! Here’s the pic.

Me Reading Newspaper

Then we pulled an asparagus can out of the closet. Here’s a pic of me reading that.

Me reading the nutrition label on an asparagus can

On 2nd and 4th Wednesdays we have recycling days. Last week was 4th Wednesday, and we had 2 barrels of stuff. When I went out to get the barrels after the stuff had been collected, I could only find 1. Karl looked out the door, but he couldn’t see the other barrel either. I took my glasses, walked down the driveway a bit, looked slightly to my left, and asked Meta if she saw the barrel. Yes, she did, and w/her telling me approximately where it was, I was able to find it.

These are small, mundane things. For a completely blind person though, it was pretty earthshaking.

Some things haven’t worked as well. Finding Karl’s newspaper in the driveway and reading a small headphones manual are examples. I’ll continue to experiment to determine optimum use cases.

The glasses are a blessing, that’s a certainty. Even more so, though, is having a sister who cared enough to want to make my life a little easier. That’s the biggest blessing.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

I’m very fortunate to have lots of family who care about me, and, along w/God who is my rock and my salvation, these are my biggest blessings of all. I wish all of you to be likewise blessed.

Blessing of Blindness

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another sunday of my 2026 blessings journey. Participating with me in this are:

Abbie Johnson taylorand

Lynda Lambert

Blind person searching for lost object

First let me be very clear. I hate being blind. I absolutely, positively, unequivocally hate it! This image shows just 1 of the reasons why. For anyone who can’t see it, it shows a person searching on the floor for a lost object that’s just out of reach. I feel as though I spend more time in my life searching for things I can use than I do anything else. Touch screens are out. Things that indicate their status by color only are also out. Just about everything takes longer to do, and even then you’re not sure it’s done right. In case you have any doubts, try closing your eyes and vacuuming the floor. How’d you do? A friend once called and, when I answered, asked me what I was doing. I told him I was cleaning the house. He asked me if it looked like a blindy cleaned it. The only thing I could think to say was that I hoped it looked like *somebody* cleaned it.

Being blind also makes participating in so many activities difficult, or at least not very much fun. Think family game nights, trips to the zoo or aquarium, holiday light shows/fireworks, etc.

So having said all that, why do I say that blindness is a blessing?

Isaiah 42:16
“I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.”

Because, for all the frustrations blindness engenders, I think we’re also given a little bit of special attention by the Great Father. I’ve often heard that God protects kids and fools. I add blind folks as well. I also think it gives me a little more tolerance for others’ weaknesses than I might otherwise have. My family members might disagree, you understand, but I do think it does. And I think it makes it more likely that I look to God for help than I would if I could see.

So, very begrudgingly, I count being blind as a blessing. And I pray I can serve God even better without eyesight than I could have done with it. Because, after all, when all is said and done, all of us walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7