Friday, September 7, 2012

Putting perspective into words: I am thankful.

Tuesday my "Bahamas Family" met as a group for the first time since we returned from our trip.  We shared our various assignments that we all created on our ipads while we were there.  If I have not previously mentioned, my professor had a grant which funded ipads for the art therapy program.  We were the first group to use them, and we had photo assignments and a project to make with the ipads on this trip.  I made an etsy site for the Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled, which I previously blogged about.  A couple others made movies, which were lovely.  Two girls made a scrapbook together, and a few girls blogged.  Everyone did a wonderful job.  It was so nice to have everyone together again and share what we created.  While I was presenting my photo assignment, I got to one, and paused for a moment because I was not sure why I had included it in the presentation.  I had remembered taking the photo because I thought the neon on two of my new friends shoes were neat because they matched.  But underneath the photo, I had written "I am thankful" and the assignment for this photo was to find "something learned".  As I was speaking to my "Bahamas Family", I laughed and said, I don't know why I chose this photo, but I can tell you what I learned on this trip.  I learned how thankful I am to be able to walk.  The very last day we were all volunteering, one of our professors walked in from the heat, and said "I am thankful for air conditioning", and after taking the entire trip in and processing everything, I realized, and said to her, "I am thankful to walk".  It was a very emotional moment for me when I realized this. The culture is so different from ours.  If I had been born and lived my early childhood years in the Bahamas, or maybe another culture, instead of America, and not had been blessed with all of the surgery and physical therapy I have had, I may not be able to walk as well as I do.  I am so thankful to walk.  And I am so thankful for this experience.  About midway through telling my story to my "Bahamas Family" in class this past Tuesday, I realized why I selected shoes as the photo for "something learned".

You all can take a look at my photo, too.  Enjoy.
"something learned"

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