"My Supports."

I believe there is direct support and support that won’t ever leave you, no matter what. The first support is the kind you get financially, emotionally or socially. The second support is the kind that will be with you forever, it is like “agape: love, it consists of deep emotional support.

 ~My Family~

My biggest and most important support is my Mother and Father. Although they are not with me now, they will always be a part of me and in my heart. It is difficult but I am surviving without my mother and father here on earth. The memory of them stays with me. 

My Sisters and Brothers are my next support. I have two sisters and three brothers. We are all grown now and even some of us have grandchildren. We seldom see each other, but we have love in our hearts for each other. I would be at a lost without their love in my life.

My children are my “forever” support. I love all my four children; they are very dear to my heart. They are all grown now, with exception of my 17-year old, but I consider him to be a “man” now. I journal and pray for my children every day. I pray that they have everlasting: love, health, happiness and are prosperous. Naturally, a mother and father are supposed to go before their children, yet if my children went before me, it would be horrible.

My Grandsons. My grandsons are the most “cutest” children on earth. Every grandmother will say that their grandchildren are “special”. I don’t get to see them much but I send them gifts in the mail. Sometimes, I even forget their birthdays, but I always send them a card and gift. I would love to be closer to them soon.

My Church Family. I love my pastor and his family. He is so “down to earth” a true “gentleman”. Without the support of my religious beliefs I would be no one and could not go anywhere. They showed me, “The Way”.

My Friends. I love the support that I get from the friendships I have encountered over the years. I have mentors and a support group of woman. We talk to each other weekly and I let them know how I am doing. I couldn’t be the person I am today without the support of my friends and supportive woman.

Of course, all the support I get for my son with Autism is “heaven sent”. I will always cherish the support systems in place and the professionals along the way who helped us so much.

Walden University: for giving me this opportunity to realize my passion for Early Childhood Studies.

~Blindness~
It would be a challenge for me to be blind. I couldn’t take care of my family the way that I take care of them today. I probably could do a lot of things, but I couldn’t drive. My family needs me to drive them everywhere.

I probably would need someone to cook, clean and care for my son with Autism. I could probably vacuum and do the dishes but other things would be difficult like cutting the grass or potting plants. I couldn’t do the dishes unless I had a dishwasher and everything would have to be in Braille around my environment.

One of my sisters or brothers would come and help me. I would get support from a local Blind Foundation and the Braille Institute. I would have to learn how to read in Braille, learn to walk with a cane and train with a Seeing Eye dog. 

These are three points a children’s web site has written about blindness:

Ø  Blindness can be genetic or inherited which means that this problem gets passed down to a kid from parents through genes.

Ø  Blindness also can be caused by an accident, if something hurts the eye. That's why it's so important to protect your eyes when you play certain sports, such as hockey.

Ø  Some illnesses, such as diabetes, can damage a person's vision over time. Other eye diseases such as cataracts can cause vision problems or blindness, but they usually affect older people.

Reference

KidsHealth:  http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/sight/visual_impaired.html

Retrieved April 7, 2012. The Nemours Foundation. 1995-2012.