Blind history tells us that whatever happens, we will rise to it. In 1934, blind clergy were writing statements speaking out against sterilization, which was being practiced both overtly and otherwise around the world. In Germany, people with hereditary forms of disability were medically sterilized. In America, they were often discouraged from socializing with each […]
Words and Mixed Messages
On an average day in 2016, blind people in developed countries across the world use many of the same technological tools that sighted people use: laptops, IPhones, IPads, Android tablets, etc. These pieces of technology have some inherent weaknesses in how usable they are when taken out of the box. These weaknesses are compensated for […]
The Power of Words
Church and other communities of faith, I call on you today to do one thing and do it daily as a critical matter of spiritual discipline. Do it in your homes and do it in your faith settings. Teach your young children and teens this critical lesson in all that you do. Cruel words should […]
Feelings of Belonging in the House of God
Today in my church, a person took time to tap me on the shoulder and say, “Here’s the plate,” when the offering was being taken. I took the plate and passed it to the next person. I happened to not have money in hand today, but I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the passing […]
the importance of text-to-speech accessibility in Kindle
I just gave a book a 1-star review on Amazon. It looks like a superb book, but SBL Press did not enable text to speech on the Kindle version. My headline says, “no txt 2 speech, no sale.” I pointed out that the concerns over text to speech are lost sales, but they lost a […]
Make America Great–Always
Tomorrow, we will all still live in the country together. Regardless of a certain slogan, it is our treatment of each other that makes this country’s greatness–that is historically what travelers are or are not impressed with. Let’s all do our part in that process. Be kind to each other. Say hello when we would […]
To Seek and Save the Lost
The text of this sermon is Lk. 19:1-10. The sermon was preached in Muncie, Indiana. Click to listen, or right click to download: To Seek and Save the Lost
Weeds in the Daisy Pot
I am a city girl. I don’t like to get dirty. Not one bit! I grew up on the Texas coast, but I hate the beach. And I know absolutely nothing about farm animals or plants. Several years ago, my mother introduced me to the joy of caring for potted flowers. I was struggling with […]
Daddy’s girl
Today is officially Father’s Day in the United States. A lot of people will write posts on Facebook and share pictures of their fathers. It is, after all, the day to talk about dads–the dad one has or the dad one misses. I could say, many years down the road, that my dad was a […]
The Two Trees and the Everyday Fall
In Genesis 2-3, the story is told of the “fall of humankind”. It is one of the most popular stories in American culture. In particular, it is often used to put women in their perceived place. I have a new spin to put on it. There were many trees in the garden that bore good […]
Can We Carry the Cross
I ran across a post on Facebook today that mentioned people carrying crosses down the road and concluded with a reflection on how different the world would be if we lived each day with awareness of what it was like for Jesus to carry the cross. This reflection made me think about what it in […]
From Darkness to Triumph: A Book for Everyone
I tightened the reins on my family’s extra spending in January, saying, “We can’t go on any trips if we keep buying stuff at Amazon.” So of course, my husband let out an audible groan when I bought another Kindle book, From Darkness to Triumph by Anastasia Charalambakos. My first instinct when writing this review […]
What are people thinking when they listen to Trump?
I have been asking myself what draws a person to support Trump. After reading this blog, I have some things to say. we’re gonna negotiate the greatest trade deals you’ve ever seen! He does not pursue this further, but it doesn’t matter. Once the emotions are engaged, people would not hear it if he did. […]
What’s so Special About Special Needs
The way I get what I want and need might be different or I might need a bit of help along the way. It is still just as important for me as it is for you to have my needs met. But that doesn’t mean my needs are any different or less important. In some […]
The Necessity of Endurance
I’ve been reading a lot of posts that say things like, “If Trump wins I’m moving.” And I have to confess that for a little while, Kevin and I thought about joining the masses in making similar plans. We even researched what it would take to move to other locations. There were numerous reasons to […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 11: Would I Ever Like to Drive?
Today’s post is a bit of a departure from my stories about my experiences with dog guides. Part of my goal for this series was to communicate about travel and things that affect me as a blind person who travels. That is something I want to do today. During my adult life, I have taken […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 10: My Humbling
Many people report that their confidence increases as they begin to travel widely with their first dog guide. My experience was no exception as Elli and I came home from training and went about our routines. I am not convinced that the increase in confidence had everything to do with Elli. A good deal of […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 09: Elli’s Great Distraction
While I was in training with Elli, I decided to solve the problem of my voice loss by teaching her to work in response to hand signals only. During times when we were not practicing routes, we walked around the building, and I gave her hand signals corresponding to my verbal commands, praising her with […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 08: The Great Nap
Elli and I spent one year at Anderson University, the college I had attended during the year prior to my training. This year was very challenging. Elli developed some stress-related illness, and I struggled with loss of my vision which eventually required surgery. For my third year of college, I transferred to a large college […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 07: The Tree
My neighborhood was fairly quiet; and Elli and I could walk on residential sidewalks most of the time. Elli had to learn to ignore toads, which were plentiful in Texas during the summer. With my cane, I never thought about toads. With Elli, I knew about every toad we encountered–at least, until she learned to […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 06: Elli and the Cat
Training with a dog guide has evolved in many ways over the last 25 years. Schools have addressed discipline techniques so that the relationship focuses on preventing distractions and rewarding positive behaviors. New strategies for traffic work have been introduced so that dogs are able to work effectively in our society’s complex environment. Additionally, The […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 05: The Parking Lot
Training was not always a smooth experience. It is very intense; and I struggled with a great fear of failure. I realize now that this is a common experience for people who are training with their first dogs. Some people talk about it openly, and some hide it deep inside. I hid my fear. for […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 04: What a Big Mouth You Have
After lunch on Sunday afternoon, all students retired to their rooms. No, this was not an afternoon siesta. It wasn’t even quiet. For me, it felt a bit like a strange game of hide and seek, except that I wasn’t allowed to do any seeking. I heard instructors walking around the halls, accompanied by panting […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 03: Waiting for Dog
Today, social media makes it easy to know who is doing what in dog training. People can easily follow the progress of a friend or family member who chooses to post updates on Facebook or in a blog. The Seeing Eye installed a technology center in 1994 so that students could access reading machines and […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 02: Into the Lion’s Den
My first class date at The Seeing Eye was scheduled for July, 1991. I was notified in January, and I was comfortable that I had plenty of time to prepare. My second semester at Anderson University ended in early May, and I took a trip to visit a friend for a few days. When I […]
Fix: Dropbox will not connect or link to a PC
Numerous forums on the Web contain questions concerning how to solve the following problem: Dropbox will not connect and will not link to my computer. It says “unable to establish a secure connection” and keeps popping up a dialogue box for me to change proxy settings. I don’t use a proxy, so this is useless. […]
To the Dogs and Beyond 01: Stepping Out of Dog Fear
Twenty-five years ago, I did something that changed my life. I did not realize at the time how much it would change me; and maybe it changed the people around me. During the last few months, I have realized that it continues to change me even though things are very different now. So it is […]
Worship Wars and the Content of Music
This morning I read a post whose point was about worship becoming performance-oriented rather than encouraging participation. The post began with a powerful anecdote concerning an elderly lady who could not hear the lyrics. I identified with this dilemma. Of course, I would I cannot see the lyrics printed on screen. If the instruments drown […]
Thinking About Disability Ministry
I read a post this morning written by a person with a disability concerning the experience of growing up attending a Pentecostal church. The author pointed out that her condition was genetic, and she felt that the consistent focus on healing prayer and frequent questions regarding whether she felt better were evidence that something must […]
Gluten-Free Brownies
I have been making gluten-free muffins for a while and have been searching for an acceptable flour ratio that tasted good, didn’t crumble, and had good texture. Another challenge is that I don’t react well to xanthan gum or guar gum. Needless to say, I have had to do a lot of experimenting. My ideas […]
Gluten-Free and Allergic to Wheat and Oats
With a sensitivity to coconut and an allergy to gums and oats, trying a gluten-free diet in order to combat my wheat allergy has been a challenge. I should note that I continue eatint wheat and oats on rotation. However, I feel much better when I eat gluten-free. Eating gluten-free typically involves a lot of […]
Evernote accessibility with Voiceover on the Iphone 6S with IOS 9
Lately I have been hearing a lot about an app called Evernote. According to the testimony of friends and acquaintances, as well as information I have read online, Evernote can help me organize my life. And there is a free version. Well, who can say no to a free app and better organization? So I […]
Blog Facelift
Happy New Year–or so it will be in a couple of hours. For some time I have tried to think of how to describe this blog, and all I could think of has been “a hodge podge of topics that I care about”. Tonight, while digging through some old files, the solution came to me. […]
God’s Favor
This sermon, preached in Muncie, Indiana, defines God’s favor as it is experienced by Hannah, David, Mary, and Jesus. Click to listen, or right click to download: God’s Favor
The Spoon Theory: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Apparently there is a new trendy term for people living with chronic pain. It comes from the spoon theory, which proposes that there is a limited amount of resources a person has for coping in a day and any number of things can exhaust those resources. Anything can “use up spoons”. It might be a […]
What to Do with Dones, Nones, and Church-Skippers
What should we do about “dones,” “nones,” and church-skippers? Should we treat them as wayward souls who should be won back to the church, give them lectures about why their decision is wrong? That is exactly what Carey Nieuwhof has done in a response to Christians who are done with church. Why Attitude Matters Nieuwhof […]
Pyrethroid Poisoning in Cats: The Lived Experience Part 3
I have spent the last six weeks recovering from eye surgery. My three beautiful cats have been by my side during this journey. When I went into surgery, two of these cats were still in the midst of their own recovery from their recent exposure to permethrin. In part 1 and part 2, I introduced […]
Pyrethroid Poisoning in Cats: The Lived Experience, Part 2
Last week, I began a series of posts regarding my family’s experience with pyrethroid poisoning in cats. In part 1, I introduced out situation and explained that cats can recover from this situation. In our case, two of our cats were given Vectra 3D, which is a flea and tick product meant only for dogs. […]
Bring Your Bible to School?
I read on Facebook that Focus on the Family is sponsoring a “Bring Your Bible to School” day in October. The comments, as I expected, were all in favor. Some people even asked, “Why does everyone else get to show their faith and we have to hide ours?” I was a bit stunned when I […]
Pyrethroid Poisoning in Cats: The Lived Experience – Part 1
Does your vet tell you that it is ok to put a small amount of dog flea product on your cat in order to save money? Do you know that some flea products for dogs should never be put on cats? Do you know the signs of chemical toxicity in your cat? For many years, […]
my personal testimony
My church holds an event once a month called coffeehouse worship. We gather in an informal setting with snacks and have acoustic worship, and someone tells a bit of their own journey of faith. When I mentioned on Facebook that I was doing this, my out-of-town followers wanted to hear my story. So here it […]
Just thinking
Every time there is another “current event”–a shooting, a bombing, an immigration crisis, or a development with ISIS–I start reading. And I start thinking… What is the real problem? Right now, there is a great focus on how much racism we still have in America. And it is true. It is only partially true if […]
great shampoo departure
Almost a year ago, I started a new journey due to an allergy to an ingredient found in most shampoos. I set out to find a way to cleanse my head that didn’t result in too much frizz. I am not always thrilled with the results. My hair is highly sensitive to humidity, especially now […]
trans-everything
This week, the most trending topic on social media is the transformation of Bruce Jenner into Caitlyn Jenner. For society at large, this event is forcing people to grapple with questions about how to react personally and socially to the issues that arise when a person lives with us and wants to participate in community […]
when forgiveness matters most
One of the greatest temptations when working through trauma–or any kind of situation involving hurt–is to hold on to anger as if it is my right to feel it. I have even read comments from some people via books and articles that it isn’t necessary to forgive the person who hurt you. After all, the […]
Can we hear each other crying?
Disclaimer: Apologies to my African-American friends and colleagues if I have misrepresented your culture in any way and especially for my failure to use politically correct terminology in this post. Please correct me gently in comments if you feel it appropriate. I write this post with deep sadness. This has been a week when I […]
It Was Supposed to Be Funny
This week in my FB readings, I’ve come across some things that have been hard to read. They were meant to be funny. One is a mental illness mem, in which you’re supposed to pick some people from your friends list and plug them into statements. One is the person who helps you get into […]
What Does He Do?
I have wrestled for some time with questions about how to address a topic that is near to my heart; and I feel that it is time for me to do my best with it, however it comes out. When I was in seminary, there was a great focus on women in ministry. I feel […]
A Woman Named Salome
While doing my Easter Bible study, I came across a name I had never noticed before. It is the name of one of the women at the tomb. Two of the women were named Mary. That is something I have known for a long time. The third woman’s name is Salome, pronounced Sal-o-may. I decided […]
Essential Oils: Need to Know
I’ve noticed over the past few months an almost raging fever over essential oils. People are taking “classes” about how to use essential oils–and then offering the classes (and the oils) to someone else. Mostly, I read and smile when someone posts a comment to me and says how much they wish I could get […]