Precious Moments:
I delight far more in what you tell me about living – than in gathering a pile of riches!1.
Living a story worth telling:
The primary and junior school was built on the side of a hill in a Welsh coal mining community.
It was quite a modern building for the area. It consisted of units of classrooms and offices built side by side, formed in a concrete square structure. The interconnecting rooms were designed with the playground in the centre of the building complex.
After loosing my eye sight; I frequently went to the school to accomplish initial skills in white cane training. The layout of the building was the ideal place for finding my way up and down corridors, through doorways, descending and ascending stairways and familiarizing myself with tactile surfaces on the ground.
On one such visit to the school, I had progressed quite well, so well, it was now time to venture outdoors.
Yippee!
Under the observation of my instructor: with the aid of my white cane, I would tap my way along the ground, searching for different textures, obstacles, curbs, steps, corners, walls, exterior doorways and so on.
Anyhow, it became apparent at one time, that we were being watched.
I was later to discover that a little boy who had been watching for quite sometime, seemed totally mesmerised by what he could see.
He was obviously intrigued by the way a grown man was moving a white cane across the tactual surface, tapping the cane in an arched formation as he walked along the way.
What could he be doing?
I had ventured around the playground, manoeuvred my way up and down steps and became fully aware of my bearings – all with the aid of a white cane.
My navigation skills were developing quite well!
On approaching the young boy; who by this time was completely focusing his attention on what I was doing, I suddenly became aware of his utter delight.
The lad was wholly spell bound!!
As I got closer to where he had been observing my progress; the little lad appeared to be jumping up and down with positive glee.
Wow!
Failing to contain his excitement; he came closer and announced with uncontrollable joy, “I know what you’re doing!
– You’re looking for gold!”
1 Psalm 119:14