Fond memories: Growing up with the cousins

I can honestly say that memories of growing up with my cousins were ones of cherished and never to be forgotten times. There are so many memories for me to look back on but I'll tell you honesty that if you ever wanted to talk about equality, then my cousins showed how it was done.

They never differentiated against me!  They always treated me without any semblance of being afraid to play with me, talk with me, and have so much fun with me.

They walked with me, talked with me, swam with me, played hide and seek with me, plus so much more.  They even played football and cricket with me and never grumbled whenever I asked for help.  They even played cards with me and taught me so much.

They were mainstream kids who adapted so well to playing with a kid who was vision impaired.  We were close and saw each other so very often.  My, how I loved each of them in their own special way and even today we still manage to stay connected.

We love reminiscing about the good old times: building sand castles and water pools on the beach, running with the dogs, and cutting out photos from Mom's magazines, plus so much more! These memories will be mine forever and my cousins will be mine forever.

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

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

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.takeanother5.com
And available for download from iTunes and Google music play

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

A childhood memory: My special sea game

I can still remember my special little sea game and I do not think that anyone really knew about it. At least I hope that no one knew.

It was all about me and those wonderful waves.  The big ones and the small ones.  I floated over the small ones and jumped over the big ones.  Then there was good old Dad who was always there to tell me when to jump.

It was amazing how much he was involved but I still do not know if he knew about my games.

He would tell me when to jump and sometimes I got it and sometimes I missed it completely.  Then there were the times when I really missed and the wave would get the better of me and send me sprawling towards the beach where I would land face down at the edge of the water.

Strange, but I was never embarrassed. Just more determined than ever to try again and then Dad would be there to play along.  Ah, yes!  my sea games forever.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, 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.

And now my weekly podcast!
From recipes to apps, and 5 minute mysteries to tips for entrepreneurs and scam alerts!
www.takeanother5.com
And available for download from iTunes and Google music play

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Remembering those green grounds at school

I have such great memories about those lush green grounds at school.  This to me was one of the highlights of time spent at grade school.

I always looked forward to playing there during break time and during our lunch hour.  I would practically race out to the lush green grounds and simply linger there for as long as I could.

I would run around and laugh out loud.  I would frolic with my class mates and we would race each other up and down the length of the fields.  Then we would climb onto the jungle gym and swing there for long minutes at a time.

Then there were the ball games, playing cricket and soccer.  Then the tug of war contests and so many times I would end up face down in the mud after my team had lost a contest.

Oh yes!  Those lush green grounds, my thick carpet and memories of them to last a lifetime.  Cool fresh mornings walking with my classmates through the damp, dew-covered grass.  Playing with them at lunch time and standing in the warm sun during our afternoon break.

Moments to remember forever, where so many dreams were hatched and so many have come to fruition.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, 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://jodhanmysterybook.club/about-the-author/
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 at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan

Remembering the ball games with Dad

Whenever I need to recharge, remember, and recall, I almost always go back to memories of those wonderful ball games with my beloved dad. Sometimes I feel that those days were oh too short. Too few and too long ago but then this is how they were supposed to have been. Childhood days that were only meant to last but just for a few short years.

Dad and I almost always played with big colorful balls. We played football, cricket, and then our own version of a sort of tennis game using our hands as rackets. We also played catch the ball on our patio or in the sea.

Dad never gave up on me. He was eternally patient. He often challenged me to do better at my games and he taught me so much. He did the dad things with me and oh how I enjoyed every moment of it. Dad never made me feel inferior and he was always there for support whenever I needed it.

I can still see those big, colorful balls in my mind's eye and hear his voice urging me on. I can sometimes feel his presence near me as I allow myself to drift back to those wonderful days as I sit quietly in my favorite armchair. Ah, yes! Those wonderful days of ball games with Dad.

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

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our 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 our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

Playing hide and seek at school

Boy did I ever have so much fun doing this and the memories sure linger on for me! Those were the days when my vision was quite limited. That is, before I received my first cornea transplant.

I will tell you that my playmates were all blind with varying levels of vision or lack of. Anything from high partial vision to none at all. I probably fell into the category of being able to see shapes and colors, light and very large objects.

We made up our own rules. We played fast and wild but at the end of the day we always treated each other with respect and fairness. We never took advantage of anyone for their lack of vision and those with more vision than others were extremely considerate.

This is who we were as kids; just enjoying a game of hide and seek and making up the game as we went along.

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

Follow me on twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan.
Visit our 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 our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at www.donnajodhan.com

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud; those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

Remembering the bell balls

I always have so many happy memories each time I allow myself to slip into my memory bank and retrieve those wonderful memories of the times that I spent playing with bell balls. Those were the times that I spent in Primary School playing with my playmates who were also blind.

We played all kinds of ball games using bell balls, balls that were filled with bells to help us find those rolling balls at all times. We played catch and we made up our own games as well. We would stand in a circle and pass the ball from hand to hand and whoever dropped it while the ball was being passed would automatically be out of the game.

We used bell balls to play a sort of goal ball game whereby there were two teams facing off against each other and the object of the game was to roll the ball from team to team and try to get past the line of scrimmage of the opposing team. Each player took turns in rolling the ball and we were not allowed to toss it in the air. Any player doing so would be removed from the game and their team would have to do without that penalized player for the rest of the game. A player could choose to roll the ball to their opposing number or roll it diagonally. It was lots of fun.

Ah yes! Those treasured memories with those wonderful bell balls.

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

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan
Visit our 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 our free downloads!
Or subscribe to our free monthly newsletter at http://www.donnajodhan.com.

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"Each time we raise our voice at someone else we are engaging in bullying! Each time we raise our hands to slap or punch someone else we are also engaging in bullying and each time we engage in actions to either manipulate or force someone else to do what we want we are also engaging in bullying!

There is no room in this world for bullying and each day we fail to take action against bullying it is another day that we allow others to bully us and our kids. Our heroes and role models are the ones who have made us proud, those brave young men and women who gave their lives for us in past wars and those who continue to do so. They are not the ones who choose to be racists and those who believe that their bad behaviour in public is acceptable.

I write and record audio mysteries that are being used at such events as murder mystery evenings as well as at public awareness and team building events. I promote understanding, tolerance, and problem solving and my audio mysteries continue to be broadcasted around the world and you can listen to them anywhere! On the plane or train! In the car or right there in your home! On your i device or computer!

Please join my campaign against bullying (CAB) by supporting my efforts to keep on writing and recording!
If you truly care then you will certainly dare!"

Remembering playtime at school

Oh yes! Those were some of the happiest days for me. I can still remember them now, both in and out of the classroom. Nostalgia time for me but there you are. Those colorful desks and chairs that I and my classmates sat at. We played with blocks, Legos, and all kinds of apparatus that blind and partially-sighted kids played with. We played all kinds of word games in class and we all loved it.

We played with shapes. We played with raised and Braille letters. We constructed buildings and built boats and planes. We did so much!

There were the Friday afternoons when we played with dominoes, played card games, and then we made up games under the watchful eyes of our teachers. Then there were the games during break time. We played cricket, football, ran and frolicked in the playground and then the biggest moment! We swam in the pool!

I would readily tell you that ours was a balanced playtime, a bit of this and a bit of that. I loved every moment of it and I especially loved the hide and seek games that we played. It was so much fun doing this as blind kids. Ah yes! Those precious moments that shall forever be with me.

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

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/author.jodhan

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day. Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"

Introduction to the Frisbee

This particular memory still lingers very much in my mind. I still remember the very first day when my parents took me to the park to play Frisbee. This after I had just gained sight after my first cornea transplant. It was a gorgeous spring day in Montreal as we ventured to the lush green park to try out my new Frisbee.

It was a bright orange and my parents were just as anxious as me. At first, they tossed it gently to me and watched intently as I caught it and then tossed it back to them. I truly enjoyed this experience. Watching the flight of the Frisbee as it left my hand and sailed noiselessly and quickly towards my parents. I was so excited to be able to see it all and both of my parents seemed just as excited.

The afternoon was a gorgeous one! The sun was just right, the grass nice and lush, and there were others around us also enjoying their activities.

I continued to play Frisbee after this first experience and thoroughly enjoyed it all. I still have this Frisbee after all of these years and shall forever hold on to it. Sometimes I take it out of its hiding place and toss it gently into the air and now that I no longer have the vision to play with others, I play by myself.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to learn more about the world of blind persons by visiting www.nfb.org.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or you can chat with me on Skype at habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/author.jodhan

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day.Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"

Red light green light

I still remember being able to see those traffic lights as we drove along in the car. As long as I could remember, my parents told me all about the significance of red light and green light. Red meant to stop, orange meant to get ready, and green meant to go.

I used to play so many games with myself as we drove along and in those days I had enough vision to see the lights as we approached. I used to make bets with myself as to whether or not we would make the red light in time and as to whether or not we would catch the green light before it turned red again.

The traffic lights always fascinated me and I can still see them in my mind's eye. This was my favorite game as we drove along in the family's car but I don't think that anyone really knew. Ah yes! Memories forever!

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to learn more about me by visiting www.sterlingcreations.ca.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or come chat with me on Skype @habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/author.jodhan

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day.Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"

Memories of playing hide and seek

This was one of my favorite games when I was a kid. I played it with my brothers and cousins, with my friends, and even with friends of my brother Robert.

There was a huge difference when I played it with my family and Robert's friends as opposed to playing it with my friends in grade school. Why? Because my friends in grade school were blind like me and it was much more fun then.

Why so? Because it was a different way of playing the game of hide and seek. When you play with sighted kids it is much more difficult to hide but with other blind kids it is a bit easier, more fun, but wait! Blind kids use their hearing to help them discover hiding places.

At school, we developed our own version of hide and seek and we made up different rules. We made up rules as we went along and we sure had lots of fun doing it. How well I remember trying to sneak away on tip-toe so as not to alert my pursuer as to where I was headed. Or I would walk swiftly and oh so quietly so as not to alert them as to my whereabouts. Then there was the fun in luring them to a possible hiding place and then sneaking away to escape them.

So many great memories for me to linger over. So many happy childhood memories of me playing hide and seek.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to come and learn more about me as detective DJ at www.donnajodhan.com.

Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and @author_jodhan.
Or come chat with me on Skype @habsfan0526.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/author.jodhan

This is a personal message from author Donna Jodhan
"If you either are or have been a victim of crime, violence, abuse, or bullying, and if you are simply tired of being bombarded with audios and scenes of the above, then I am asking for your support. I have written and recorded audio mysteries that are completely void of vivid descriptions of sex, crime, and violence because I firmly believe that it is time for us to use the spoken word to help influence our kids to start listening to content that is clean and healthy. By doing this we can all do our part to tackle crime in a positive and meaningful way and it only costs pennies per day.Visit my online store at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.
I thank you and your kids will also thank you!"