KK: Karen's Kanvas: What VisionWalk Means to Me!

VisionWalk, Foundation Fighting Blindness Researching, Curing Sight,

Making futures more Bright,

Enabling people young and old to have the same opportunities,

A Fund Raiser to Cure Retinal Disease.

 

Blindness can be a frightening thing,

Hope  you can bring,

Prevent one from losing the ability to see faces,shapes color, or light,

Minimize the fear for those losing their sight.

 

We all are intended to have 5 Senses:hearing , sight, smell, touch and taste,

Giving support, won't be a waste

 Of your Money or time,

To learn more, go online

 

 If you could, just donate a Dollar,

Your buck will go far,

Maybe, the money you spend at the convenient store, coffee shop or at the sports bar,

For one week, can be donated to the Foundation?

To help those with Usher's syndrome, RP or Macular degeneration?.

 

Blind Individuals    can be independent, be employed   and raise a Family

They are like you and me.

 

Sometimes, we are not given an Opportunity or a chance because we lack eyesight,

This, is not right,

Some do discriminate, some think blindness is just a nusense, just a characteristic, like hair color, but not me,

I believe those of us whom can't see,

Hlike me, whom have no sight, it's a major sensory disability,

And life is a bit more                      challenging and their obstacles in our way,

But that has more to do with, Society's view and Social Barriers, that's what I say.

 

Many people with disabilities feel more isolated and that others do not always, understand,

Yet, we all are connected in some way, lend a hand,

I'm not making any demands,

Though, donations would be appreciated, It could change one life,

Someday, it may affect you, your Sister, Uncle, or your Wife.

 

Due to medical advances, People are living much longer today,

Many are more health conscience, work, involved in their community and play

Contribute to Society in some way,

Be productive at their Jobs or Volunteer,

Play with their grandchildren or spend time with family or friends that are dear

 And as people live longer, their more likely to have problems with their sight,

Often struggle to read, drive or see at night.

 

I do recall, when I was losing my sight, what a scary time,

I couldn't just go online,

Surf the net and read the Medical Journals with a screen reader, Like JAWS,

I needed assistance from Family, to read for me, to tell me the cause,

The reason why I was going blind and what was happening to me,

 Sat in the Doctor's Office, heard his explanation of why I couldn't see,

,Back then WE didn't have access to the information Highway,

Like we do today,

It was a 7 year emotional roller coaster ride,

I tried to take it all in stride,

 And stay strong,

And learn to get along,

And adjust to life without sight,

But for me, it took a long while, before I got it right,

And transitioned from being more in the sighted world, to a blind one,

Once I had, life again, had begun.

 

I                       would like to help others like myself, not experience vision loss, and have a retinal detachment

Its money well spent,

I had 3 Retinal detachments,

Damage to my pupil,iris,rods and cones,

The prognosis,it was unknown,

I also had,Glaucoma, cataracts, a damaged cornea too,

10 surgeries on one eye before it was all through,

 The Doctors at Duke Eye Center, did give me 5 more years of residual sight,

And I'm grateful for all they did for me,

And all the others, who visited the clinic, losing their sight, like me.

 

Help another, be able to   appreciate the beauty with their eyes, a sunrise, the rain, a rainbow,

The view of the view of the ocean, the auto leaves, the falling snow,

 Their child being born, Children at play,

To be able to see on their Wedding day

 To see a smile on their spouses face,

To see their friend, as they hug, give an embrace.

 

Help another to be able to read their own mail,

To walk safely and with ease on a hiking trail,

To make travel easier, taking the bus, train or plane,

Whether they go sighted guide, use a dog guide or a cane,

To not be among the 75 % whom are unemployed,

Or the individuals, that some avoid

At School, Library or at the gym,

at the pool,while they swim,,

In their community as they shop, go to the cinimeathe, or out to dine,

To   help others, right now, some web sites are inaccessible online,

 Let's bridge the Gap, help   one another,

Storm the weather,

After all, we all are connected in some way,

We all are here, live each day,

We all need to make a difference in our lives, what do you say? 

KK: Karen's Kanvas My Thoughts on the IPhone and all its Apps

It's a beautiful day here in the Valley of the sun,

It's my day off and I'm having fun,

I am in the mood to write, need to get my thoughts out on the page today,

On my Canvas, in my unique way.

 

The IPhone is a wonderful piece of technology,

There is an App for Everything! To suit you and me.

 

I have known this for quite a while, but haven't written about it till today,

And this is, what I have to say.

 

It's amazing, overwhelming and fun,

It can assist and enable us to get work done,

There are apps to help us manage our time and budget our money,

To improve our health, give us humor, jokes that are funny

There are game apps that are to distract us so we are not board,

Many are free, but some are paid, many we can afford,

It's easy, with with a flick and a tap,

You can choose yourselections , find your app.

 

There are apps to help one read and write,

An app,that becomes a flashlight and help you see a night,

There are apps to    help you clean and cook,

 Open up the App store, give it a look!

 

There are apps now that will allow you to watch movies and TV, so you no longer need cable,

There are apps, to grocery shop and put food on the table,

Apps to journal,tell your  Story,give you the News,

Social network,  find your favorite music,clothes and shoes,

There is an app, for every interest and subject matter,

 There are recipes to help you blend the batter,

And celebrate with friends,

And apps to help you not spend,

Help you communicate,

And relax and meditate,

To schedule appointments and plan a date.

There are countless, I don't know how                many, but maybe, one of you Geeks do?

I don't have a clue,

And it's really ok, I don't need to know that, to get through my day.

I'm sure there are apps that are being developed as I sit here and write,

And maybe, one of you Techie's will be beta testing them tonight?

 

Soon, we will have Apps to do our laundry and cook our dinner while we are out,

That would be wonderful and incredible! no doubt!

 One would think that this could make us all lazier, you know?

I wonder what the studies show?

 

 I believe we have become more efficient, tech savvy and these apps are improving our minds,

What do you think? What  do you find ?

 

I find apps that are practical, fun and make me feel alive! What is, your thing?

What are your, interests and Hobbies? Mine, are  Health, medicine and   art

That,is my thing,

I'm introspective, creative and feel from the Heart.

 

I not only like to write, but sing and dance,

I prefer, books that are filled with mystery, action, and some, romance,

Not a ton, but a little,

Want to learn and improve my dancing and singing, not play the fiddle,

Interested in forming new and good,habits and managing and be more organized,

Become more thick skinned, easy going and wise.

 

I use to think, this stuff, I could not learn, I raised the bar high,

Thought I needed to keep up with the Techie's, that is why,

Felt like I was not on the same time line and on the ball,

But, now I know, its not like that, at all.

 

I can learn but I may need more time and pace myself,

That, I can't and shouldn't compare, not good for my mental health.

 

I'm living in the 21 Century and playing in the game,

Though , I may not pbe playing the same,

At the same rate, intensity or speed,

All I need,

And to know,

 I'm making progress,I'm having fun and doing my best, and that is what matters most and what I have concluded today,

And unfortunately, I need to get on my way,

I have shopping to do and a house to clean before the day ends,

So, take care my   friends.

KK: Karen's Kanvas: Reflections, a New Year, A New Beginning

 We all need trust    and tenacity to achieve,

Have inner strength and believe,

We need to go with the flow, and have hope,

To be self-Reliant and know how to cope,

With life's challenges, and the stress from day to day,

Be in the game, to be a good sport, and know how to play,

To find balance, and   the person and happiness within,

Too love yourself, whether you are tall, fat, short or thin,

To recognize, you are a winner! just give it your all,

And when you lose sight of your Goals, and may slip and fall,

Reach out to others, family and friends will help you focus on it all,

Ones who are truly there and give you another chance,

That love you under any circumstance,

 Even though, they may be disappointed in your choices, they support and stand by,

Allow you to spread your wings and fly,

To reach High and do your best

Take the time to invest,

In yourself, and one another,

Recall the things from Kindergarten,family,friends,especially   your Mother.

Learn from your successes and failures too,

Recognize the things you like to do,

Develop your talents and gifts,

When you are feeling down, and your spirit you want to lift,

Laugh from your heart and head to toe,

Stay calm, go with the flow

Sometimes, this is easier said, than done, take it one day at a time,

Have Faith! and soon,you will be fine.,

 

Find your, Elasticity of Spirit and know that you are not alone,

 Roll with the Punches and step out of your comfort zone,

Now and again, try something new

It may be rewarding, enlightening or fun,

The best thing you have done.

 

Dream, reach for the Stars! Have realistic expectations,

Renew your soul, take a vacation,

Watch a sunrise, hear children laugh and play,

Smell the rain, or sit and pray,

Feel the warmth of the sun on your face,

 Those you love, do embrace,

Give them a hug! Convey your feelings   and what they mean to you,

They may not have a clue,

And life is precious, and people too.

It's all about Balance and moderation, as they say,

We all need to fine tune it, including me,

It takes work, time annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd energy and insight,

With these ingrediants, you may get it right.

 

Time is, our most valuable Commodity, the clock does tick, the Hours do pass, 365 days a year,

What is your purpose here?

 On this Earth,

What is meaningful to you  ?