Something to think about...

One of my sisters is having in-law issues. There's always been "issues" in regards to her in-laws, but something new has cropped up - over the past year or so, her mother-in-law has been going blind.

At first, it seemed minor - the vision loss seemed to even slow at one point, and she could still see things as long as she had plenty of light and if print was large. She and her husband decided to sell their current home and move into a one-level condo to get rid of having stairs. Then her husband was laid off. So he had to find a new job. His new job is 3 hours away. So he leaves at the beginning of the week, stays there for work, and comes home on weekends. At first, this wasn't too horrible as mom-in-law's vision was still considered ok enough to drive during daylight, and she was still working at her own job.

Over the past couple months, her vision has rapidly deteriorated. She had to leave her job due to disability and was told by her ophthalmologist she could no longer drive. She's now trapped in her house with her husband gone most of the week and at the mercy of whoever can give her a ride to her appointments and the grocery store and Target and whatnot. And guess who's on the receiving end of those phone calls insisting for rides.... Yep, my sister, and her husband.

My sister works part-time on the days her hubby doesn't work to help make ends meet with her family which consists of her, her hubby, and three kids (demon spawn, age 6; angel child, age 3; and barfy baby, age 5 months). Her hubby works weird hours at a job he absolutely hates. Needless to say, it's not easy to pack up 3 kids in the mini van just to take grandma to Target on a whim. Nor is it easy to pack up 3 kids and take Grandma to a 3 hour long eye doctor appointment. Grandma puts my sis and her hubby on plenty of guilt trips whenever she calls. (I think they've earned enough frequent flyer miles to get a couple free trips! Woo Hoo!)

I know her mother-in-law is feeling very lonely and dependent now. She's always been a very independent person, so not only is she dealing with the emotions of losing her vision, but also the emotions of losing her independence. I know that's a big part of why she's constantly calling my sister and her hubby. So I was trying to come up with ideas of things that could occupy mother-in-law's time.... So here's where I'm stuck thinking. What CAN you do without vision?

I had to think awhile on that one. I came up with a very short list: listening to books on tape and listening to music. That's it! Anyone else have any ideas?

I'd go bananas if that was my life. I think I'd rather keep my vision and lose my hearing.... So I'm counting the blessing of having my sight tonight.