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All tagged Sight Loss
To this day, my mind is filled with images of beautiful scenery and tales of exciting adventures. I am so thankful for all those special moments that can never be replaced.
My husband, Seth, is also a travel fanatic.
It was our very first vacation abroad as a couple and Seth’s first time venturing out of the country.
Spoiler alert…we had a blast!
I was preparing to fly to Michigan to receive orientation and mobility training at Leader Dogs for the Blind.
This organization does not only provide guide dogs to people who are blind or visually impaired, but they also teach such individuals how to navigate the world using a white cane (orientation and mobility training). This was the reason I was traveling there in 2016.
I had barely been blind for a year, and this would be the first time I would be taking a trip on my own since losing my sight.
This year was exciting and unbelievably happy for me.
In May, I got to marry the love of my life, Seth, on the most perfect day.
This week, as I continue sharing untold stories from my sight loss journey, we are taking it back to 2019 and 2020. I hope you enjoy!
In 2019, I graduated from college…Finally! It was a day that I had been looking forward to since I began my collegiate journey in 2012.
After losing my sight, it was also a day that I never thought would come.
On a December morning, however, I donned my cap and gown and made my way to the University of West Georgia to receive my diploma.
In May of 2017, my mom, sister, and I took the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii.
While exploring the beautiful state, we had many adventures including hiking and ziplining.
On the beach, one day, my sister and I decided to try something that I had never done before sighted or blind… Kayaking in the ocean.
Kayaking is one of those activities that, while observing, looks easy, but once you are doing the paddling, you gain a whole new perspective.
The past 7 years have brought many experiences; some have been triumphant while others have been downright terrifying.
Despite the grief that accompanied my sight loss, I have been able to find joy in sharing how God has worked through it all.
Over the next few weeks, my blogs will contain stories from the past 7 years that I have not written or spoken about before.
Some will be hard, and some will be light-hearted, but each one will point right back to God and his amazing grace. I hope you enjoy!
Sure, I also loved to grab a bite with a group of friends or my family, but there was always something about the peace and relaxing atmosphere of a meal spent in solitude that appealed to me.
It’s been almost 7 years since I strolled into a restaurant by myself, was shown to a table, and enjoyed a meal independently.
Well folks, I am happy to say that this streak has finally come to an end.
My dad and I were able to gaze upon the spectacular landscape from a unique vantage point on a helicopter ride.
Slightly terrifying? Yes! But the views were well worth the mild panic attack! It was one of the most wondrous things I have ever seen.
The Grand Canyon is one of those sights that just makes you think, “How in the world could someone not believe in God?”
How could something so beautiful and so spectacular simply arise by chance?
Have you ever looked at the world around you and simply wondered, “Why?”
Why is such a young person suffering from cancer?
Why is there so much trash on the television?
Why, when I turn on the news, is there yet another deadly tragedy?
Sometimes, all of the evil negativity that surrounds us can make it easy to also say, “Why would God allow this? Or even, “Why are you doing this God?”
Over the past six years, while struggling with my sight loss, I have been very tempted to question God.
While I do not write as often about this aspect of my disability, it still impacts my life in many ways.
Thankfully, the hearing in my right ear was not damaged, so I still have relatively good hearing overall.
I have a hard time hearing any soft noises that originate on my left side, and it took me a long time to get used to only holding the phone up to my right ear.
