I don't know about anyone else, but that's a phrase I've heard many times in my life. My mom often reminds me that we are so fortunate and that even the little things "should not be taken for granted." Our basic senses are something a lot of people including myself, certainly take for granted. I am able to hear, taste, touch, smell and see and on a day to day basis I don't consider what life would be like if I didn't have one of these senses. The other day I was reminded of how I take these abilities for granted. Photographer Jim Stanton and I went to a day camp sponsored by the Tri-County Association for the Blind and the Capitol Area Intermediate Unit. Children in the 1st through 4th grades who are either visually impaired or completley blind spend a week having fun just like any other child. As a kid, I would have loved playing on the huge inflatable obstacle courses and the playground the camp had to offer, but I can't imagine how different my experience would have been had I not been able to see what I was doing. Amazingly, these children showed hardly any sign of their disability. Jim and I wondered "which kids were blind," and we're shocked to find out that all of the campers were in fact, legally blind. I know kids are often fearless, but to see a child running around, jumping, swinging and playing with their peers, all while doing it almost completley in the dark for many of them, was incredible. A few campers used canes to get around and the help and care of a counselor was always nearby, but if you didn't know of the handicap these kids face, prior to visiting the camp, you may not even be able to tell. Here's what I hope for this group of little ones...I hope that age, their peers and the world we live in doesn't ever give them reason to lose their carefree, confident approach to life. I also hope more people have the chance to see what I would describe as one of life's little miracles in action. I think that seeing this first-hand reminded me of how much I take for granted.
