Braille

I love the theme of our 2024 calendar, obscure holidays and daily celebrations, because it reminds me that there is always something to celebrate. Today I discovered that it is National Braille Day. I was immediately hit me with a wave of nostalgia I wasn't anticipating. 

I fell in love with Braille when I was Timmy's age and I read a book about Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller. Despite the fact that I went to college to teach the blind and I earned my graduate degree to teach cane skills, I haven't worked with Braille in nearly two decades. The years that have flown by since I left teaching and I find my mind continues to translate the written word into invisible dots. 

I don't have a Braille writer, but I do sketch out 'secret' codes to myself with dots. I discovered that I can leave reminders about surprises and gifts in the open because nobody in the family can decipher the codes. I miss Braille, but I don't miss teaching.