On a frigid January night, my husband and I walked to our car after visiting a friend. I looked up at the 5:30 p.m. east coast sky and inquired if the dot I thought I saw was the moon. Mister Rain said that it was, followed by a request for my phone which was in my gloved hand. He took a few photos, then returned my device to me.
When we arrived home I viewed the pictures he had taken on my large iPad, blowing them up to a high magnification. Though nighttime, the clear sky looked almost Sister Rain blue. A tall flagpole allowed Old Glory to proudly wave in the winter wind. What my husband captured here struck me as very special: the two-family dwelling side-by-side, what we call a twin, both halves glowing with light and the warmth of home. As for the American flag, frequent trips to this property have afforded me the sounds of rain pelting it in spring, silence in the still, humid months of summer, gentle flapping on a crisp fall day. It was not lost on me when I was first able to view the scene in digital form that in 1969 a flag such as this was planted on this very moon, the pair mere inches apart from this perspective.
A lot can be learned from this evening, none of the teachings new but always worth remembering:
Look up.
Never take for granted an average Wednesday night.
Understand that every minute is unique no matter how many times you’ve stood in the same spot.
Preserve even the smallest memories in your mind’s eye, your camera roll or your heart.
You will not ever read me say that losing my sight was a blessing. But I will admit that had Mister Rain not taken this image for me to enlarge later on my Apple tablet since I couldn’t see it in real time, we would not have this beautiful shot. Because I didn’t experience it live via my eyes, when I relive it electronically, I smell the wood stove from a few doors down, feel the raw bite of a temperature in the low 20s, taste the cup of coffee I had before we left our friend’s.
No, I will not say that my visual impairment is a gift. But this ordinary mid-week night and this photograph most certainly are.
#SisterRain #alittlesightalotofheart #legallyblindwriter
