Tuesday, November 27, 2007

True Love

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Quantum Mechanics and faith?

J (who is an RE teacher) interviewed me and Kevin (the physics geeks in our church) about quantum mechanics and faith a few weeks ago. The podcast is here (which is a brilliant website that J has produced about worldviews - it also has a really moving interview with Liz, one of my friends from church whose son had a brain tumour.)
Bear in mind this interview took place without much warning on a random car journey whilst I was knackered (these are my excuses for maybe not always explaining things as clearly as possible.. thankfully Kevin is generally more on than ball than me! (and I would like to point out that at one point it sounds like I arrogantly interupt to explain about Schrodinger's cat - but J has kindly edited out Kevin going 'Lou can explain this..') Anyway - its quite a random interview!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

White cane-ing it

This is my white cane. Most people I know don't know that have a white cane, most people have never seen me using it. That is generally because I don't really like using it and most of the time I don't need it (although some would say I should use it anyway as its a signal cane - ie I'm telling people I can't see... therefore they may be less likely to drive into me or something) However, I have started using it more reguarly recently - partly coz I realised that actually when my eyes are sore I can see very little and it probably is much safer for me to use the cane at these times. Using a cane can be quite hilarious - the way people respond to you is so different. Sometimes people just ignore it, for example I was using it in rush hour in London yesterday and I get pushed out the way pretty much as much as when I not using it (commuters ,ya gotta love 'em!) Sometimes (and this is probably my favourite reaction) people become uber-helpful in a nice way. I was in lost in Eastbourne a few weeks ago and stopped an old couple to ask for directions, which they helpfully gave. The old man then asked if I needed help crossing the road - very sweet but I'm sure it should be role reversal! And then there's the reaction I like least - people who think they are being helpful but are actually just being stupidly patronising. Thankfully I have no very recently examples of this - but there are oh so many examples in the past. They often involve people not talking to me, but talking to the person who is with me about me (eg 'Does she need any help?'), as if I am deaf and stupid as well as being blind (sight impaired) - seriously!! Does disability = stupid person?? I don't think so! I have a physics degree!! One of the reasons I don't like using my cane is that I know people will look at me and have preconceptions about me. The trouble with sight impairment is that it is in no way black and white (unless you're colourblind - haha!) It's not just like either you can see or you can't, there is a huge range that different people with sight impairment can see and so a huge range of ways we need to be helped. (I find it very difficult to describe what I can see, for as long as I remember I have been able to see like this - I don't really have anything to compare it to - what can you see?) It frustrates me a lot when people who I don't know just assume wrongly they know what I need, for example an aiport attendent at Stansted a few months ago made me sit in a wheelchair.. (obviously all disabilities are the same and the solution = wheelchair!) Sometimes I even pander to them and pretend I can see less than I can just to keep them happy. Why don't people just ask? I like it when people ask in a non patronising way if they can help, often I will politely refuse, but sometimes (usually when I'm trying to work out trains and they are seriously frustrating me...) it seems like a God send to have someone ask me that. Navagating your way around a new place when you can't read signs can be ridiculously frustrating, and having someone kindly ask if they can help is brilliant. I think everyone should be made to use a cane for a day... then people may have more of an idea how to be helpful without being patronising!!

My granny

My granny died 10 days ago. She was a very kind lady. Here are a couple of incidents that sum up her kindness.:
* When I was 11 years old and broke my foot - she knitted a 'toe cosy' to go over the plaster so my toes wouldn't get cold.
* She often helped me, and subsequently other younger cousins to find the thimble in the aunnual game of 'hunt the thimble' in the Waddington family gathering. If you've never played 'Hunt the thimble' (and really, why would you have?) it's a very simple game - someone hides a small metal thimble in our living room while everyone else is waiting outside, the cry of 'ready' goes up and everyone piles into the room (bear in mind I have a large extended family, and elbows are often used in this process!) and looks for the thimble. A cry of 'found it!' will go up and we all dutifully pile back out of the room for the victor to hide the treasured thimble. As a visually impaired little girl, I'm not sure how I ever found this game fun, I guess having Granny (and others) help me to find it must have made it fun. Since growing up people have stopped helping me and it has become a lot less fun - usually involving hanging around in a corridor and not even getting through the door before some sharp eyed cousin or brother has located that darned thimble! But this is a game I will always associate with my Granny - she would always patiently bear with us, in our over competitive enthusisum or grumpiness and help the youngest and weakest to enjoy the game.
Granny Wadds - I will miss you!