April 5 - New Shoes

If you can see the picture with this post, you might be wondering what it has to do with White Cane Connections and vision loss. The picture is of Lyle and I holding hands with our fourteen-month old granddaughter and walking down the sidewalk. Over the past month, Lexi has been taking her first steps and last week, her mom bought her a new pair of shoes. The shoes have given her new confidence and with spring finally here, it is great to be walking outside.

Now to answer the question. What does this have to do with my limited vision? For the first year of Lexi’s life, I haven’t felt comfortable in holding her and walking around. Certainly, I haven’t entertained the thought of holding her and walking up and down stairs or venturing outside where unanticipated obstacles might be in my pathway. Anyway, when I am outside I am nearly always using my white cane and that doesn’t go so well with holding a baby in the other arm.

Now that Lexi is walking, and walking slowly enough that I can also walk with her, it is a brand new chapter in both our lives. I can also take those baby steps and not worry about falling and dropping that precious little bundle of joy. Of course, I know that the day will come all too soon when she will be walking and running way more quickly than she is doing now, but perhaps that is when she might be the one in charge and take my hand to show me the way. In the meantime, I intend to enjoy this particular stage of our lives and count our many blessings.

Lyle, Lexi and Sue