Ann Cooper
About
10 years ago I moved from Florida to Tennessee.
My home is now located on Christmasville Road, next door to my daughter.
I did not get to know the neighbor on the other side of me right away.
We
finally met one day when we both went to our mailboxes located along the
roadside next to each other. Evelyn was a tall, slender lady - immaculately
groomed who appeared to be in her 70s.
She told me she would have visited me sooner but was afraid of my two,
big dogs. I assured her they were very
friendly. She then became a frequent and
welcomed visitor in my home.
As we
got to know each other, I learned that she had grown up in a coal mining town
in West Virginia and that she didn't have much of an opportunity for getting a
formal education. In fact she had only
learned to read simple things - just enough to get by. Evelyn also explained she suffered a partial
hearing loss as a child which had made learning difficult for her. In addition, hearing words indistinctly had caused
her to pronounce them incorrectly.
However, over time, she learned to read lips a bit. Evelyn told me that she
had never lost the great desire to read on a higher level.
As
for myself, I had been fortunate enough to receive a college education. The ability to read and write has given me so
much joy in life. However, in my early 80s,
I was declared legally blind. This makes
reading and writing very difficult for me, and I even have to use special
magnifiers.
The
more that I began to know Evelyn, I wondered, "Is there some way - even with my limitations - that I can help my
neighbor read on a higher level?"
Evelyn and I talked about it and decided we'd find some way to read
together. I accessed Evelyn's skill by listening
to her read. I discovered that she had difficulty reading multi-syllable words
and Biblical names.
Together
we made a plan. We decided to pick out
some reading materials. She would read
as far as she could. Then she would stop
and spell out the word she didn't know.
I would divide the word into syllables, pronounce it, and then define it
for her. And away we would go. Each day we'd read from daily devotionals and
the Bible. Evelyn likes Amish novels, and
I enjoy history books and mysteries, so sometimes we'd read from them as well. In addition to these, we would read our mail.
We
have helped each other in this way for over three years. Evelyn is now at the
point where she can read almost everything on her own; I am no longer able to
read because of my failing eyesight. She
now reads to me, and we continue to
share this daily bond with one another.
Evelyn
and I both thank God each day for the gift we have been able to give to each
other.
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