It does my heart good to see one of my friends, who is legally blind, pull her little magnifier out of her purse at a restaurant to read the menu.
A couple of years ago, another friend had an after-Christmas party at her house. We were all asked to bring a white elephant item from our house for an exchange gift at her party. I had a little magnifier that I had got in the mail from one of the missions I support. When the case is pulled apart, a light comes on to further enhance the reading capability. I really didn’t have a need for it, so I wrapped it up and took it to the party.
When the exchange took place, lo and behold, my friend chose the magnifier, even though she didn’t know what was inside the package. You should have seen the excitement on her face when she saw what it was! I am able to share in her joy every time I see her use it.
A few years before that, a different friend was expressing her wish to see the Christmas light display about 15 miles from our houses. There was a fee to drive through it. She had no hope of seeing it, as she no longer drives when it is dark—which is when the display would be lit.
I offered to take her, as I have no problem with driving at night. I thought it would be a nice outing for the two of us. She turned me down. She said it was too much to ask of me. I said she wasn’t asking; I was offering. Still, she chose to stay home and not enjoy the uplifting display.
I missed out on it too. I still have not gone to see those Christmas lights, although Sweetheart and I have seen other ones. And I missed spending the time with her. And I missed the heartwarming feeling I would have got.
Maybe, the nicest thing you can do for a friend is to let your friend be nice to you.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com
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