A Wheelchair View

Photo by Getty Images In line at the checkout I could tell that the cashier was a little frazzled as she wrestled with the register and chatted up the ladies in from of me. The elder one asked if she could help me unload my cart onto the belt. She said she was bored and fidgety and it would save her sanity. I giggled and said sure. When they were rung up the tape on the register messed up and I could see panic on the cashier's face. It was a crowded Saturday afternoon at the first of the month and I was feeling for her. The ladies in front of me left and it was my turn to check out. The cashier said "I thought you were with them." I said. "Nope, flying solo these days. How are you?" She said "I been better, I'm not liking 2016 yet. How are you?" I said, "I'm great!" I gave her a smile and she said, "If YOU are doing great then I have no right to complain." I raised an eyebrow and continued to smile as her words cau...

Readers of my blog know that I have been through it the last few years. The loss of a marriage and our home and our pets followed by the death of my best friend really took its toll on me and my family. I have to admit as much as I tried to fight it off I lost a bit of myself and gained a good 45 pounds that has put me at 197 pounds. I want to make it clear that there is nothing tragic about putting on a few pounds. It is quite normal when you are middle aged, but for me as a woman with a physical challenge it affects my mobility and independence.  I am starting a journey of recovery. I will never weight this much again. It is not healthy for my 5'5" frame and quite frankly I want to look good when I hit my 50's lol.  There will be more to come. :) 

After my husband and I separated last year I deemed 2012 as a year of losses. I found it to be appropriate as I lost my transportation, my job, my pets, and my home. I sold my camera equipment and many other beloved possessions to move back to my hometown and literally started over. When 2013 came my life was completely different. I had my own apartment, a new job and I declared it to be a year of taking chances. So I blew off the metaphorical dust off of my book manuscript and updated it and through the inspiration of my late best friend Jesi, I published Echoes Through Corridors Silence in Rooms. Jesi recently passed away due to a heart attack. So much of her life was unfinished at 40 years old. This only fuels my intensions for this year and even though she is not physically here to push me as she always has I still hear her voice saying, “Well? What are you waiting for?!” I have received amazing comments on my book and had many people thank me for helping them realize th...

Sunday Beams by Etha Walters I was greeted by sunbeams when I rounded this church in Hamilton. It was almost as if the sun was shining just to spotlight this little church. It made me think of how we worship and how taking this photograph was an act of worship itself. It serves as a testimony to the little things that make this world so beautiful. Sadly these little things are often drowned out by the hustle and bustle of life or out weighed by bills and problems and global catastrophes.

You can tuck all your dreams away in a box and hide it in a cluttered room. But in the attic, in the corner, under mounds of books, clothes, toys and cobwebs; that crushed, faded, mangled and torn box of dreams will find a way to haunt you. The spirit of that box will sneak up behind you through the years and whisper in your ear. Words like “I wish I could” or “if only” will echo into the void and return with “I should have,” and “why didn't I?”  In to Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s character Atticus Finch says, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” This kind of courage is the act of faith and determination, it is not about winning in the end, it is about not going down without a fight. After all regrets come stronger in the things that we did not do or try, then the things we did and...

I started the Dr. Oz's Reparative Or 'Ex-Gay' Episode and couldn't bear to watch anymore of it after 10 minutes. It reminded me so much of a society who believes that my life would be so much better if I was not disabled so they try to "fix me" through therapy, surgery, and the worst one of all, faith healing. This stigma comes from small minds who are clinging to their cookie cutter magazine perfect world and anything beyond the mediocrity just has to be "fixed." After all we don't want to mess with the perfect body fantasy. Never mind that if we have a creator who does not make mistakes created people of all shapes, sizes, colors, abilities and yes, orientation; we are simply telling God how to do "his" job. We are robbing ourselves of the treasures of our diversities and the lessons we can learn from them all because we want to hold on to a idea that is just that, an idea. What if, my disability could be put into the background of wh...

Beyond the Silver Lining by Etha Walters I took this photo while sitting on the patio of my new apartment. The blue sky and big fluffy clouds greeted me with such promise for a fresh new start. When my husband told me a year ago that he wanted a divorce, I had no idea how much my life would change. The last six months have been the most devastating. I sold everything that I could to move including much of my photography equipment, and literally felt stripped of everything. This heavenly view, right off my patio gives me great hope in what is to come. It is just me and Miss Cleo (My cat) now, and I am adjusting quite well to my new environment, and yes, living alone. Moving furniture and boxes around with my body and my wheelchair reminds me that I am still strong and I can still do this. Other challenges take a little more practice and commitment, but that is just life in a wheelchair. Now that I am settled, it is time to rebuild my life. The kids are gone and I am now single ...