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Show . . .. VIT"r T . ' - - - T- : j Kathleen Norris Says: j The Woman Who Couldn't Hear It Bll Syndlctt WNU rtur I H Vnlil he masters Braille get into the hahit of daily reading; headlines, I article from the digest), everything short and cheerful that you cun find. j By KATHLEEN NORMS "ALL my values have ZA changed,"- writes Mar-1 Mar-1 x guerite Williams from Tennessee, "I feel as if I were a strange person living in a strange world. Three years ago my splendid son and his wife and two babies lived near me, my daughter lived with me; we were a happy and united family. . "A few month! after Pearl Harbor Har-bor my daughter married and went to California with her captain husband, hus-band, who is an instructor In a DOU BUS LOSS Ilotvard is coming home to his mother 'from the Philippines. Philip-pines. But it will not be ait entirely en-tirely happy return, because he was blinded in combat. Furthermore, his wife and children will not be at home to greet him. Muriel got a divorce di-vorce and married a richer man. These misfortunes are almost al-most too much for Howard's mother to bear. It seems to her so unfair that a man who has lost so much in the service of his country should also suffer suf-fer heartbreak in domestic life. She wonders what she can do to help Howard readjust himself him-self to his neu life. He is 37, and was a lieutenant. His interests in-terests run to books and music. ' base camp there. That was a shattering shat-tering blow, for Betty was 30, and I had rather thought she would always al-ways be with me. "Then Howard, my son, 'went to officers' training camp and emerged a lieutenant, being sent immediately immediate-ly to the Philippines. His wife, j Muriel, would hot move In with me ! as I suggested, and I soon discovered discov-ered why. She did not want any par-ticular par-ticular attention drawn to her conduct from that time on. It was bridge and cocktail parties, night cluba and fashionable bars. She had j many beaus; eventually one was more successful than the others, and ' she wrote to Howie for a divorce. I knew nothing at the time, my first Inform aUon came from their oldest daughter, who Is seven. Heartsick, I -tried to reason with Muriel, It was no use. She got a divorce, married her new sweetheart, and moved away, with her children, to a nearby near-by town. Corning Back Blind. "What that meant to me I won't attempt to explain. It is Howard la whose interest I am writing .yeu. He is coming home now blind. He will live here with me, without wife, babies, home and without eyes. habit of daily, reading; headlines, articles 'from the digests, everything every-thing short and sheerful that you can find. After a while introduce passages pas-sages from Shakespeare, Stevenson, Steven-son, the poets; things that uplift our hearts and stay with us. Music and Friends. ! You say he is musical. If he plays the piano that will be an inexhaustible inexhausti-ble interest to. him. Nothing of this will be easy at first, but you will get through tlje -first hard stages, and eventually you will find that you have a busy, content, philosophical son restored to you, the,, tie betweerw you being more tender and closa than ever. ' -j Remember that frienats"Bfeii great consolation to anyone so tern- J porarily handicapped. Ask the men "Mrs. Norris," this letter goes on, "I have tried to become reconciled to this. I have tried to accept it as ; God's win. But I cannot. Rebellion rises up in me and half chokes me. ! My boy is 37 now, a fine, balanced, hook-and-music-loving man who never did a cruel or selfish thing in his -life. He loves his little girls. Why should this cross be laid upon him, . while this cold, self-centered woman goes her way to a rither marriage and higher position? I Is thefcf any reasoa or justice in tils? How can" 1 iaee .tee futur thai is before me now?" Li f) "My dear Mrs. Williams, I ay in rejfty. abiltmpt to "fayCe the future." Faee only today. Lie it as heroically, as simply, as ebWtully as jou earn, aad let tomorrow's prob- he likes to drop in atfell hours, and keep your tone awayTtrom pity. He will hate to be pitied. The more quietly and normally Jyou take the situation the more quietly and normally nor-mally he will. I ' Here is perhaps .the most comforting com-forting thing I can say to you; ask anyone who knows anything about the blind and I believe you will find that it is true. Blind persons are almost invariably cheerful Perhaps in their darkness they den't see much that is ugly and hateful in this world. Perhaps they see through Some of the veils that are over our eyes.. I Whatever the reason, thousands of totally blind persons lead active, useful interested and happy lives. His daughters may yet mean much to Howard. Married love may well come again Into his life, and mere fortunately. You win find that he does not complain; so don't you be-gia be-gia it - ! ( had a blind friend years age who read, talked, wrote, played on the organ, walked, helped in the household house-hold and generally lived a more than ordinarily full life. We others were the, "sighted people." 'There's a lot you ' sighted people never see," he used to say pityingly. ien wairaaUll tomorrow. I Waen HoweM Jeomymeet him without gushes el 4 senUaientality and pity; concern youiself with making him physically comfortable, and discuss Muriel's actions without with-out bitterness. Unless hii wife is an actual monster, she wtfl be willing to lend you the ehilden frequently frequent-ly and when they come, make their visits as bappy as you can, so that they will want to come again. , Meanwhile, build up a real life for Howard, until he has found his footing foot-ing in the new darkened world. He will have a dog, of course; he will eventually have a routine, and, believe be-lieve me, there are many mothers who well might envy you the opportunity oppor-tunity you have to stay close to him and be needed by him. Naturally, don't introduce the new order with bustle and rule-making. Rather let it gradually develop. He can take walks; encourage him to I go about. Radio and record music will be a tremendous help, and until un-til he masters Braille ge$ into the The tie more tender end close . . . |
