This past weekend we finally got to go meet her and her family. As it turns out, she is LDS too and recently moved here from Utah. And (here is the best part) she lives literally 30 seconds from my house! All this time we were emailing back and forth and we were a few blocks from each other.
Meeting her was inspiring. She has been blind for the past 6 years and in that time has learned to live a completely normal life without sight. She has a 4 year old, a 3 year old, and a 6 month old who was born on the exact same day as Elisabeth! Her husband was so kind, I thought it was especially sweet when he described my girls spring dresses to his wife when we were just arriving.
We had a nice visit and she was able to tell me a little bit about the NFB. There is a division of the organization for parents of blind children, and she highly recommends that Donald and I join. There is also a national convention that is taking place in Texas this summer. She describes it as "life changing". I think I'll look into going.
I came home with an enormous stack of magazines, brochures, flyers, and books that she had requested on my behalf from the NFB. I am so thrilled to have met her, and even more excited that she is my neighbor and has so much in common with me. I am sure that she will be a great support to Elisabeth as she grows and learns about the world around her.
****To clarify: we live on the dividing line of our ward and stake. She lives on the other side of the street and therefore in a different ward and different stake. This is why our paths had not crossed even though we live so close.
