Tag: My Ideal Partner

A Visit from my future Husband #Excerpt #Thursday Book Feature

On a warm spring morning in March, Dad and I drove to the bus station to meet Bill, who’d been traveling all night from Fowler. A woman getting off the bus ahead of him asked me, “Are you the one getting married?”

“Um, yeah,” I said. Had he told everyone on the bus he was marrying me?

“Well, he’s doing just fine. He’s right behind me. Congratulations!” she said before hurrying off.

When he emerged, he kissed my cheek and said, “Hello, sweetie.” He never kissed me or spoke to me like that before.

In a daze, I stood there while Dad collected Bill’s suitcase. Bill put his hand on my shoulder, as he would do many times when we walked together, and we followed Dad to the car.

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Want to know more? Read My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

New! The Red Dress

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Last Time I Saw Him #Monday Musical Memories

In the spring of 2005, after my late husband Bill wrote me a letter, asking me to marry him, he traveled by bus the 500 miles from his home in Fowler, Colorado, to Sheridan, Wyoming, to visit me. We spent a week together, during which he officially proposed to me in front of family and friends at a restaurant, and I said yes. All too soon, it was time for him to get back on that bus and return to Colorado.

So, like the couple in the song I’m featuring today, we said our goodbyes before he boarded. Unlike the couple in the song, the only moisture on our faces, as we kissed, came from raindrops. It never occurred to me to shed any tears because there was no doubt in my mind that he would be back. But the certainty I felt that he would return didn’t stop the ache in my heart, as the bus pulled away from the station and disappeared. You can learn more by reading My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

New! The Red Dress

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Coping with Vision Loss #Thursday Book Feature

When You Can’t Believe Your Eyes: Vision Loss and Personal Recovery

by Hannah Fairbairn

When you’ve had sight, then lost it, the adjustment process can be difficult. According to her Amazon author page, Hannah Fairbairn lost her sight when she was 33 years old and working as a chef in London. She uses her own experiences plus insights from participants in focus groups at The Carroll Center for the Blind in Massachusetts to provide a short but comprehensive guide to vision loss later in life. Topics include homemaking, mobility, exercise, recreation, and socialization. The book includes resources and references to articles on the author’s website.

Although I’ve been visually impaired since birth, I’ve worked with senior citizens who have lost their vision later in life. So, I was curious as to what advice she would have. Although much of the book didn’t relate to me, I was fascinated by all the tricks she offered. She even gives tips for men on how to use a urinal in a public restroom. I highly recommend this book to seniors and others dealing with vision loss. For those using talking books, it can be downloaded from NLS or obtained through regional libraries.

If Hanna Fairbairn had written a comprehensive guide to being a visually impaired caregiver several years ago, it might have made things easier for me and my late husband. You can read our story in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds, which, along with my latest, The Red Dress, is available absolutely free this week from Smashwords as part of its 11^th annual Read an eBook Week sale. Smashwords sells books in a variety of accessible formats that can be read on computers or other devices. Click here to download my books. Thank you for reading.

New! The Red Dress

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About Love #Writing Prompt

Love isn’t necessarily romantic. You can love a movie, food, a computer, or any other object. But what I’m going to tell you is a story about true love.

In 2003, I met my late husband Bill through an audio publication called Newsreel. Designed for blind and visually impaired people like me, it provides us with an outlet where we can share our thoughts, a favorite song, ask a question, or buy or trade something.

Back then, I submitted a question about computers. At the time, I was living here in Sheridan, Wyoming. Bill Taylor, who lived in Fowler, Colorado, answered my question by email. I wrote back to him, and that’s how it started.

For two years, we carried on a long-distance relationship, emailing each other daily and talking by phone once in a while. My dad and I visited him in Fowler on our way to New Mexico to spend time with my brother and his family. Bill had downloaded over a hundred songs onto his computer, and he sent me tapes of some of those songs.

It never occurred to me that he fancied me as anything more than a friend.

But one night in January of 2005, my world was turned upside down. That day, I’d received a braille letter from him. I didn’t think this unusual. He’d sent me tapes of his music, so why not a letter? But then, I read the first sentence of his letter.

“Dear Abbie,” he wrote. “I’m writing to ask for your hand in marriage.” After I read those words, I knew my life would never be the same.

He wanted to come to Sheridan to visit me in a couple of months. I suggested waiting until summer, so we wouldn’t have to worry about bad roads. But he said he thought the roads would be okay by March.

So, for the next couple of months, I lived in a world of uncertainty, not sure whether I loved him or wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. But after he came, and I felt his tenderness for the first time, things changed. I can’t explain why, but when he officially proposed to me in front of family and friends during dinner at a restaurant, I said yes. You can read more about this in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

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I was inspired to write the above by a prompt provided during last Saturday’s meeting of a local writing group called Range Writers. Now it’s your turn. Here’s the prompt.

Write about love. It doesn’t have to be about romantic love. It can be about a food, television show, or movie you love. Here’s a list of words you can use.

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Affection

Adoration

Friendship

Tenderness

Feeling

Fondness

Devotion

Passion

Ardor

Adore

Worship

Fancy

Care

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I’d love to read your responses, either on your own blog with a link to this post or in the comment field below. Thank you for stopping by today.

New! The Red Dress

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What is Love? #Poetry

In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a poem from My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds. I’ve posted this here before, but I think it’s worth a second reading, and I hope you agree. My late husband and I wrote it together. You can click here to listen to a recording of me reading it. Enjoy! Thank you for coming, and happy Valentine’s Day.

WHAT IS LOVE?

Being warmed from within by another,
having someone with whom to share dreams,
a soothing voice that comforts you,
gentle hands that smooth life’s hardships,
strong arms that hold you close,
lips that bring you pleasure.
Love is a heart that’s yours forever.

New! The Red Dress

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Hemorrhage #Poetry #Book Excerpt

Today, instead of reviewing someone else’s book, I’m tooting my own horn. The following poem from How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver, gives a brief run-down of the journey my late husband and I took through the labyrinth of recovery and rehabilitation after his strokes. You can read a more detailed account in My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds. Click on the link below the poem to hear me read it.

Hemorrhage

Barely coherent, drenched in sweat, he lay on the floor. “What happened?” I asked. His response was unintelligible.

“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” he told the paramedics. “but if my wife wants me to go, I guess I will.”

“The stroke was caused by bleeding on the right side of his brain,” said the doctor. “He may need surgery.”

“In this case, surgery won’t help,” another doctor told us. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“He’s not strong enough to participate in our rehabilitation program,” said the social worker. “He’ll have to go to a nursing home.”

“I don’t know how much you’ll recover or how long it will take,” a third doctor said. “Continue the therapy, and watch your blood pressure.”

“We’ll work on strengthening your legs and try to get you up and moving,” the therapist promised him.

“They’ve given up on me. I don’t think I’ll ever walk again.”

Hemorrhage

New! The Red Dress

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