Kate’s daily runs when she’s in Oakland, often take her to nearby Lake Merritt. That’s where Hank the pelican lives. He’s unable to fly much, so that’s his permanent home. He’s got lots of friends there… and many are not even pelicans.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course
The older we get
The more we say that.
Of course.
It’s because we’re
Fortunate enough
To have memories to connect…
And a lucidity that
Still does the linking.
I rejoice.
Case in point:
I just finished a super book.
And one of the scenes
Therein
Took me back to the early 1960s.
The woman pictured above
In this month’s offering
Would have been
My godmother
If I had had one.
Sammie and my mum
Met at university
At a time when
Women didn’t go to university.
My mum was majoring
In architecture
And Sammie was majoring
In English Lit.
Sammie was blind,
Having lost her vision
When she was eleven…
And she was determined
Not to be slowed down
Or kept from living
A life she wanted.
She went on to found
The Waco, Texas,
Lighthouse for the Blind
Where she taught others
To be determined, too.
She earned her master’s
In psychology and eventually
Headed up the whole of the
Texas Lighthouse
And when she retired
The State of Texas
Declared a Sammie K. Rankin Day
And now there’s an annual
Memorial award in her name
For people contributing
To teaching the blind.
Anyhow, after I grew up
And moved to a central Texas home
Sammie and her Seeing Eye dog
Visited me
And continued
Enrich my own totally sighted life.
But before then
When my mum and I
Visited Sammie in Waco
We often helped with things
That she wanted to change
In her home…
After all, not only could we see,
But we were both artists.
She said she could trust us
To do a job and do it well.
One such visit my mum
Built pantry shelving
Between the studs
On Sammie’s enclosed
Back porch.
My part was to make
Braille labels for
The canned goods.
That evening
We all three
Carried cans
To the porch and
Sammie decided
Which shelves for which cans.
At one point
The power suddenly went out
Leaving us in total darkness!
My mum and I
Both stopped and
Exclaimed in surprise…
Sammie just quietly continued
Walking and carrying..
Asking, “What’s up?”
Of course,
My mum and I were
Too busy laughing
To answer.
It’s a sweet memory,
Not a major one…
And the scene in that book
Was neither sweet nor major…
Just part of the story…
But look where it took me!
I was enjoying the book
So much I’m late getting
This missive to you today.
I had to find these old Sammie pix,
Make them into matching duotones…
And tell you all this.
...
So:
I’m late, but with an
Inspiring cause.
I guess since Sammie
Wasn’t my godmother,
I’ll claim her as
My goddess-mother.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course
