Monday, January 25, 2010

Day one at Guide Dogs


A most wonderful day...that started at 4:30 am. The flight to San Francisco was two hours late taking off. It gave me lots of time to meet and talk to my fellow passengers, though. One German fellow gave me extensive information on the training of special needs dogs. he told me that he has a good friend who trained dogs to deal with diabetics and those with epilepsy. Our conversation attracted others close by...one being a lady who was on her way to train with me.



The two hour flight gave me time to remember a not so wonderful day in 2002. I had returned to my hometown of St. Louis to care for my mother who was no doing well health-wise. I'd already had to quit one evening job because she was getting worse and she'd begged me not to leave her alone from 3 till 11 pm. So in desperation I went back to my college and asked them for a day job. they found one for me at the campus bookstore, ordering art supplies for the semester's students. I had a master's in Fine Arts from there, so I knew what they needed and what the professors required.



After working there about eight weeks, I was at my desk doing paperwork one afternoon and my left eye felt weird. A sickly green color spread over my vision and clouded it completely....then went dark. I was terrified. I finished the day as best I could, stumbled on the college shuttle to go home, and thought...."God, what am I going to do?" I've got NO insurance, NO doctor to go to and my mother's seriously ill. I can't tell her this. I can't burden her, even though I'm scared to death.



That was when I decided to say nothing....to anyone. I thanked God that he gave us two of everything, so that we had a spare, when one was lost.



I never dreamed I'd lose the spare as well.



Well, anyway those are the thoughts that consumed me on the two hour flight between Seattle and San Francisco....



What a journey....and it's not over.

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