The Christmas kids

I really don't think that it matters how old we are when it comes to enjoying Christmas.  We are all kids in our very own way and I am probably one of the biggest kids when it comes to Christmas.   

Yes! It is my favorite time of the year.  Just to hear the kids themselves as they shout with glee!  As they sing with joy!  As they whoop with excitement whenever they see Santa Claus or they find something that they have been looking for!  Ah! Just to be a kid at Christmas!  

For me, personally, at Christmas, being a kid in my own way is really not describing it fully!  I guess that I have always been a kid at heart.  I love the toys.  First, the electronic games and gadgets.  Next come the dolls and doll houses with all of the furniture, and tea sets.  Then come the puzzles, the bats and balls, and then finally everything else that makes me smile!  In short, anything that makes a noise, anything that beeps, talks, and anything that enables me to create, imagine, and develop!  

Christmas is for everyone and age is no barrier.  No gift is too big or too small.  There is a kid in each of us and all we need to do is to let it all hang out.  It is not as difficult as you may think.  Just let it happen then sit back and enjoy! It is what I do every year and you know what?  I really don't have to wait until Christmas to do it!  I can be a kid anytime I want!  It is just that it is so much more fun being a kid at Christmas time! It is so much easier to be a kid at this time of the year!  

The sounds and smells!  The ambiance and the songs!  The sights and events!  For after all, was it not then when the greatest and most famous kid was born?  Our Lord Jesus Christ?  

I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a very merry Christmas!  

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Visit my online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html

and you can even take advantage of my free downloads!

Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Christmas is for me no matter where I am

Yes!  You got it right!  You heard me correctly!  No matter where I am and no matter what I'm doing!  Christmas is for me!  

I could be spending it in Canada where the winters are icy, the snow is falling, the winds are howling, and I could practically hear Santa chuckling. Christmas is for me!  Or I could be spending it in the sunny Caribbean where Santa could be seen in either a jeep, standing in an open truck, or even on a motorcycle. Christmas is for me!  No matter where I am, this very special time of the year is for me!  

There are some very special things that many parts of the world share in common: the birth of Jesus, gift giving, greeting each other, Christmas goodies, toys, and the singing of Christmas songs and carols!  So many things in common for us to share!   

No matter where I am, all of these things will be with me!  From a snowy winter with skaters skating on an icy rink with Christmas lights winking in the background and bystanders drinking hot chocolate, to a deep blue sea with swimmers swimming lazily under the watch of bright blue skies. Christmas will always be the same!  It is not where I will happen to be!  It is all about the spirit of Christmas!  Remembering what Christmas really means to me!  The giving, the greeting, the joy, the special hopes and wishes for others. But most important of all,  remembering to let the Child Jesus into my heart and to let him stay with me all year through!  

Quoting from a popular Christmas carol:  "The secret of Christmas is not what you do at Christmas time! But the Christmas things you do all year through."    

I'm Donna J. Jodhan wishing you a wonderful Christmas and the very best for the new year.  

May all of your dreams come true!  

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Visit my online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html

and you can even take advantage of my free downloads!

Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Under the Christmas tree

It may not yet be Christmas but boy do I have some wonderful memories to share with you.  Memories of me as a child with very little vision, enjoying my experiences under our family’s Christmas tree.  I had enough vision then to see the lights in their different colors.  I could see the other decorations on the tree, as well, but I did not have quite enough vision to help decorate the tree.  

That was okay by me.  I enjoyed smelling the fragrant pine of our live tree.  At night I would crawl under our tree and lie quietly among the presents, taking care not to crush any of them.  My two brothers were always trying to peek into their presents and they would let me have a feel of mine.  I would shake the presents to see if I could tell what mine were but my brothers would peek and tell.  Oh, how much fun it was then.

I always loved our Christmas tree and everything that went with it.  I loved everything about those wonderful trees.  The smell of them, what lay under them, and what was placed on and around them.  Ah, yes!  Under the Christmas tree!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell others about my memories of being under my Christmas tree.  

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Visit my online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html

and you can even take advantage of my free downloads!

Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

The color of Christmas

As Andy Williams used to sing out each year: "It's the most wonderful time of the year,” and this is certainly the case for me.  It is that time of year when the child in me decides to show itself.  I am never too embarrassed to express my joy whenever I hear Santa's rich laughter and whenever I smell the sweet fragrance of pine.  All of those colorful presents, bows, lights, and other goodies dancing before my eyes!

Now that my vision is down to a bare minimum, I use my imagination to help me out.  I imagine all those mysterious colored packages under a huge tree decorated with blinking lights.  I can almost see those colorful lights dancing in my memory and I can practically reach out and grab one of those mysterious packages from under the tree.

Lights intermingled with artificial snowflakes, all kinds of Christmas figures and at the top of the tree?  The shining star!

I must not forget my angel and my manger with the Baby Jesus lying in Mother Mary's arms.  The animals, shepherds, Joseph, and the three wise men.  All fixed in my mind's eye forever.  

The toys all come alive in my mind!  Doll houses filled with little people.  Furniture, tea sets, and strollers with baby dolls.  Even the racing cars, train sets, and those ice skates dancing just out of my reach.  The skis waiting for me to put them on and the colorful balls and game sets.  

Ah yes!  The color of Christmas and I will forever be a child at this time of the year!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a happy, Holy, and safe Christmas! 

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Visit my online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html

and you can even take advantage of my free downloads!

Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Little Christmas tree

It was the night before Christmas and in my dreams I slipped lazily and happily into memory lane.  Another time had come and as I stood there, the little Christmas tree twinkled in front of my eyes.  The tree smelled so wonderful!  It gave off the scent of warm pine.  The colored lights danced in front of my eyes as they took turns blinking on and off.

I moved, oh so carefully, towards my little Christmas tree, being careful not to step on packages neatly piled in front of it.  I had to get as close as I could so as to see everything.  My partial sight only allowed me the luxury of seeing things very close up and, at best, only a few things at a time.  Nevertheless, it was enough for me.

I gingerly reached out and placed my index finger on one of the little lights, a little yellow one.  Then I took my time identifying other colors.  Red, blue, and green.  Then I had to take my time finding a spot where there were no lights.  I found it after a few moments and I held a tiny portion of a branch between my fingers.  

Next, I looked upwards and found the star at the very top.  I stood gazing for quite some time thinking of the story that my parents would tell me every Christmas: the night that Jesus was born.  What a lovely memory for me.  Then I bent down and felt for some of the packages and finally I made my way to where the manger had been set up.  There I spent most of my time, examining each little figure; Baby Jesus in the arms of Mary and Joseph, the three Wise Men, the shepherds, and the animals.  

Ah!  That was a memory of when I was a child and had enough vision to see it all then.  Now I can only recall this memory each Christmas and that’s okay for me.  At least I have a memory that I can recall and one that I can cherish forever.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you happy Christmas dreams!

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Visit my online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html

and you can even take advantage of my free downloads!

Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

Christmas is for me

I have had the good fortune to enjoy many wonderful Christmases, with and without vision and it does not matter!  Christmas is for me.  The smells and the sounds, the laughter and the merry making.  

When I had enough sight, I used to enjoy going out to window shop.  To see the bright colorful lights, the flickering candles in the church, Santa's bright red suit, and streets crowded with throngs of folks of all ages.  I also loved to smell the scent of rich pine, cakes and goodies baking in ovens, and taste the various Christmas foods and drinks.  I also loved to walk in the snow and watch those big white snowflakes race each other to the ground. But most of all, I loved to ice skate around those huge outdoor rinks decorated with Christmas lights.  

That was then and this is now but not much has changed for me.  True it is that I can no longer see the flickering candles, the colorful Christmas lights, and the big fat snowflakes, but this does not prevent me from enjoying this special time of the year.  My sense of smell is still intact along with my sense of taste and I use my memories of years gone by to help me along.  I focus on the times when I could see and intermingle those memories with the now.  I am blessed!  I am lucky!  With or without sight, Christmas is for me!  I am a kid at heart, playing with my talking games, playing my electronic keyboard, and my Christmas CDs.  

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Joyeux Noèl, and Feliz Navidad to you all! 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan.  Will see you again in the New Year.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

Like me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Visit my online store to either purchase or subscribe for unlimited access to our library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html

and you can even take advantage of my free downloads!

Finally, you can subscribe to my free let's talk tips monthly newsletter by visiting http://bit.ly/ADJSubscribe

One of my greatest fears: Crawling insects

For as long as I can remember, I have always been petrified of crawling insects and, as a vision-impaired person, I often use my imagination to deal with these little things.

Even when I had enough vision to see them, they were simply a threat to my sanity.  More often than not, I allow my imagination to take control of the situation and I can be accused of enlarging their true images.

In 2019, when Mom and I spent our annual vacation in Saint Lucia, I woke up one morning to her telling me that she had found a crawling bug on the floor close to our front door.  Immediately, my defence mechanism went way up and I found myself walking gingerly around in my slippers.

It did not matter that she had told me that she had killed the poor crawling thing. I continued to have visions of stepping on a crawling thing and having it bite me.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

What a different world: Without the Internet in Saint Lucia

As a follow up to my previous blog post, I have to admit that not having the Internet in Saint Lucia could only be described as both a drawback and at the same time a relief.

A relief because I don't have to worry about having to keep up with emails but a drawback because I am unable to keep up with the latest news, follow my favourite sports teams, and conduct facetime chats with friends and associates.

As they say, one cannot have it both ways. It can only be a bit of this and a bit of that! For, after all, this is what makes life interesting!

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

The joy of quietude: No emails and no phones

It is always a welcomed relief whenever I have those rare moments to ignore emails and ringing phones and I guess that the only time that this can truly happen is when I force myself to take a vacation away from my office.

I do this at least once a year when I take my annual 10-day vacation to sweet Saint Lucia. There, I am away from having to read emails and there are no ringing phones to interrupt my peace and quiet.

It is just so refreshing and relieving and I can actually hear myself think and breathe!  Ah!  Just to be able to breathe fresh air, read a book, and listen to the sounds of nature!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Something new: The joys of texting

I am not sure why it took me so very long to become a part of the texting crowd but now I have to admit that it is fast becoming a habit for me.

No more having to spend time composing emails on the fly. All I need to do now is to text simple messages. Then I know that it will be more reliable than sending emails, providing technology cooperates.

The joy is that I can either dictate or speak my texts or even type them. Whereas with emails I only have the choice of typing.

I still am at the stage where I do not abbreviate words and sentences and hopefully it will stay this way. I really do not like those abbreviations.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Laughing as we go: Running through the rain with Mom

I have to admit that this was, indeed, a very amusing day. Here we both were, doing our best not to get too wet in the rain. Mom was actually running; doing her best not to fall and to go a bit more quickly than usual. Then here I was, doing my best not to fall and to make sure that we stayed in step.

The rain was coming down pretty hard and we needed to scurry out of the supermarket and then to run across the parking lot. I had to put all of my trust in her guidance because I could not see where we were going.

It was a matter of the blind leading the blind, in a way, despite Mom having full sight. My trust was severely tested but at the end of the day we did just fine.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Meet the A team! The hearing aid and the seeing eye

I am the hearing aid and Mom is the seeing eye. I hear for us both and she sees for us both.

For the most part, our team of two works very well together. She tells me and describes everything to me as we walk around in the mall or eat in restaurants. She does not miss very much and her descriptions are complete. She is the seeing eye.

She describes what people are wearing, what is on the display racks, and whatever else she sees as we travel around.

For me, as the hearing aid, I do my best to tell her what people are saying and asking. My job is to ensure that she knows what is being said and what is being asked but I need to ensure that she hears me. This means that I need to go very close to her and articulate as best as I can.

This is hard work but I do not see any other alternative. This is the hearing aid and the seeing eye at work.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A wonderful opportunity: A priceless gift from Seneca College

I can only describe this as a priceless gift; a gift from staff and students of the Camera and TV Program departments at Seneca College in Toronto.

Thanks to Professors Richard Fisher and Julia Patton, my CCB Mysteries chapter will soon be receiving a huge shot in the arm as these very talented folks will be producing some exciting videos to help promote my chapter's activities.

As they always say: a picture is worth a thousand words. As someone who once had enough vision to appreciate and understand this statement, I am just brimming with excitement.

So, hats off to these wonderful people and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their commitment.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Time to think: At 3 a.m. in the morning

I do not think that too many folks would consider the hour of 3 a.m. to be a good one for them. For it is probably the hour when most of the world is either still asleep or getting ready to do so.

For me, it is the perfect hour! The time when I wake up, hear myself think, and then start my day by reading and digesting the latest news. Then I read my emails that have come in overnight and finally it is time to get down to work.

As most of my clients live in Britain, this is probably the best time for me to catch them. Their work morning has just begun and my emails will probably arrive in their inboxes at just the right moment.

As mentioned above, I can hear myself think. I can hear myself breathe. Most of all, my brain is awake and ready to work. This probably no different for anyone, vision-impaired or sighted.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Just another way: Removing the nail polish

I think that I simply stumbled across this very easy solution out of pure luck.

Some time after I had been to the spa with my friend Gabriella to have our nails done, the nail polish had begun to flake off and I had asked my mom how I should remove it. She suggested that I should use some polish remover to do the job but for the lazy person that I can be at times, I decided to seek an easier way.

So, one night while lying in bed, I used my nails to remove it. For example, I took a fingernail from the left hand to remove all of the polish on each of the fingers of my right hand and then I repeated the process for the left hand. It worked.

At least I was able to do this quite easily and quickly and the polish came off quite easily. I simply had to use my sense of touch to do the trick.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Putting a smile on my face: Playing chess via Skype

Over the past few months I have made a concerted effort to play chess on a more frequent basis. This has included playing chess with Mark Kirkham who lives in England.

I met Mark at the Windermere event at the end of January, 2019, and he was kind enough to play me some friendly games when I had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness.

Since then we have been playing via email and a few months ago we tried a Skype game but I have to admit that it was not one of my favourite experiences.

Mark is very patient and a great teacher and I do my best to keep up with him. However, I need to develop more patience and confidence in my chess skills. Just another hobby for me to work on.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Just another routine: Navigating Mom's remotes

At the best of times, working with a television remote is not the easiest thing for me. I say this because any slip of the finger and the television will simply either stop working or go haywire.

Each time I return to visit with Mom I make very sure to learn how to re-familiarize myself with her remotes. Once I get the hang of things then the rest is very easy. All I need to do is to ensure that I know where the most necessary buttons are located. This would be the power button, the channel changer button, and the volume button.

All in a day's work.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day!

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

They are nothing but a pain! Dealing with those persistent lizards

For me it is very difficult to deal with these creatures who do not seem to know when they are not welcomed!

I remember once seeing what they looked like as they crawled along the banister of our balcony and that was quite enough for me. Today, I can no longer see them but I can certainly hear them!

They make a clapping sound when they are around us. I do my best to chase them away by either shouting at them or clapping my hands whenever I hear them. Sometimes it works but at other times it does not.

For me it is extremely difficult to deal with situations where I have no idea what is close by and I only discover something whenever a noise is made.

Lizards are definitely not my favorite friends. They are not welcomed and I just want them to go away.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advisor, wishing you a terrific day.

If you would like to learn more about me as an author then I invite you now to visit http://www.donnajodhan.com

There you will not only learn about me as an author but you will also gain insights into my campaign against bullying and why I strongly believe that you need to consider joining me in order to insure that the future of our kids, with their wide eyed smiles and infectious laughter, is secured forever.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan

And like me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan