Dancing in the Light

She could feel the warmth of the sun, hear the birds talking back and forth, see the flowers offering their colors to the bees, smell the damp soil. She ran and jumped and played, later making friends in school and charming her teachers. She brought life and light with her. And she danced to the music in her soul.

Until one day something started to happen, and the light dimmed. Her eyes were failing, her world getting darker, and the doctors seemed to be hurting more than helping. Now homework was done with her parents, because she couldn’t see the numbers and letters clearly. Her world became fuzzy, indistinct and, finally, completely dark.

She had to learn Braille and how to navigate the world without her eyes. She and her mother both cried – separately – as she lost her independence. She wouldn’t go off to college like her siblings, would never drive a car, never get her first apartment away from home. And she pounded out the music in her soul, the piano her one saving grace.

For thirty years she lived at home. Then came the day when her mother watched her leave, moving in with a friend. She took classes to become a counselor. No longer dependent on her parents, she leaned on her friend. She turned to her piano, creating music that she and her friend shared with many through CDs and sometimes live performances. That helped for a while, until the music in her soul called her to a new relationship with God.

God’s song lifted her to new places and new beginnings. After sixty years she would leave the comfort of her friends and her parents and make a new way for herself. It was her first solo flight, her first time alone in a country where English was not the common language. The people were friendly and helpful and not concerned that she couldn’t see their faces. She was helping them find their way and she didn’t need her eyes, just her heart. For the first time in a very long time she was seeing the music in her soul and dancing on her own in the light.