Tom's sight...

I went to a Friendship League meeting last night at Anne Marie’s house.  The Friendship League is a sort of women’s club that was formed in our neighborhood a while before we moved here.  I’ve known Anne Marie for a few years, but last night was the first time I met her dog, Tom.

Tom is a 10 or 11 year old Brittany Spaniel.  He’s a very handsome and friendly dog.  Right before Christmas last year, Tom developed an eye problem and consequently is now totally blind.  But according to Anne Marie, Tom is getting along pretty well.  Being a dog, he doesn’t complain about his condition but has been learning to adapt.  He walks slower and follows along the walls until he gets where he wants to go.  He is a happy, vital dog in spite of his challenge.  He even got to go with the family cross-country skiing this winter like in the old days when he had his sight.  Many of us have a lot to learn from the stoicism and 

adaptability of dogs, I think.

When I got home last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tom.  I had to wonder what he sees in his mind’s eye when he hears the voices of his people.  Does he see their faces in his mind?  While he follows along the walls of their house, does he see the house that he was so familiar with?  When he feels the cold wind on his face and the snow under his feet, does he see the white mounds in his mind’s eye?  Of course, we will never know, but I want to think that he does still see in his mind the things that made up

his sighted world.

My thinking lead me to wonder what would I still be seeing in my mind’s eye if I ever lost my physical sight?   My family and good friends and my pets would remain, I hope.  But there are other things that I wish never to lose even if I can’t see them with my two brown eyes. 

The splendor of an autumn day...

All the shades of blue...

The comfort of a cup of coffee...

Walker Pond in the evening...