O say what is this thing called light

That brightens up the darkest night?

How would you explain light to someone who has difficulties with vision? When a doctor stamps a label on a child, sometimes it is true. However, this truth is based on the knowledge, wisdom and experience of the doctor. While doctors receive insight from God, one fact remains evident. A doctor is not God!

Before I moved to Crooked Island in the southeastern Bahamas, I had a dream about twin girls. Since my niece had married recently and was the daughter of a twin, I felt that the twins in my dream belonged to her. Besides, my nephew, who is in her generation, has twin girls. Not only did I see them in a dream, I held them as babies during the dream! Well, I teased both the married and unmarried niece until I moved to Crooked Island. Juliece met me before I became aware of her. When Juliece developed an affinity for me, God began to speak to me. Juliece could find me in any crowd!

Slowly the story of the twins began to unfold. They were born prematurely and weighed barely a pound. Thus, they remained in an incubator. Doctors examined their eyes and determined that Shaniece was a candidate for surgery; and it was successful. But, the outlook for Juliece proved gloomy. Doctors indicated that she would develop late. Maybe she would walk and talk by the time she was five. Juliece proved them wrong!

At first I began to follow Juliece. Was she really blind?Had doctors evaluated her correctly? I thought about Helen Keller.She had overcome incredible odds. Wilma Rudolph was not supposed to ever walk. She ran in the Olympic Games! On the internet I came across the story of a wrestling star, a high school student who maintained a 4.00 GPA and had won most of his matches in spite of his vision.His success revealed his insight. Who says blindness is a handicap? It does not have to be unless there are limits that impede present and future progress. Those who believe they can achieve success work towards a specific goal. Years ago I met Professor Johnson in Syracuse, New York. Our meeting was fortuitous because before then, I had a limited vision of the height to which a 'blind' person could soar. However, Professor Johnson was not using a cane; so I did not perceive he had any visual 'problems'. Our conversation revealed that he enjoyed his work and did it well.

In New Providence, Bahamas I lived next door to the late Blake Higgs who used the stage name 'Blind Blake'. I grew up thinking that he was Mr. Blake as I can remember nobody in the neighbourhood calling him Mr. Higgs. However, he was a notable musician and songwriter. I liked the style he used when he sang 'Run Come See'. How 'blind' he was never entered my mind because if his car had a problem, he spent time under the hood trying to fix it. A blind mechanic? So what! Blind people are skilled too. Before my Aunt Eloise died, she experienced blindness. But before that time, she prepared some scrumptious meals, always piled on fruits and baked cakes. My favourite was her Seven Up Cake At the funeral home while we sat reminiscing, I found out from her grandson -cousin Philip- that she had countless other recipes! Darkness entered her world through blindness but not her heart. She had the light of God and exuded joy. Unable to read the Bible during her later years, she reveled in the Living Word. It was in her for she knew Him personally.

When I met Juliece and her twin Shaniece, they were already a year old. Would Juliece walk before age five? Of course. She possessed an infectious joy and zest for life. Walking happens progressively. After crawling, standing alone and falling, a child may take that historic first step. Some children simply stand and walk. Juliece walked incrementally and uncertainly at first; then she walked alone. I documented with photos some of her milestones. Some people told me she depended on sounds; and I utilized this knowledge. However, I decided to discover if she could move freely without having to rely on aural stimulation. One day while I was in the kitchen, she answered a burning question.

I left Juliece sitting in a chair in the living room. To my surprise and joy, she walked to the kitchen without groping, bumping into a chair or the dining table! Juliece can see! Of course I could not depend on one isolated incident. I took her outdoors to the lawn. She walked alone. But at times she seemed disoriented. When I discovered that my Canon had video features, I began to experiment. Besides still shots, I would have moving evidence. Soon, Juliece recognized walking as a fun activity. It was during a walking activity session that i heard her speak.

That day, I allowed Juliece to walk on the lawn by herself. While she did not head for the street, she steered towards the border of the property which has briers and brambles. Every time I redirected her, she chose to go towards the border with the briers and brambles. That proved strange. With such a big lawn, I wondered what was attracting her. Then it dawned on me. My father told me that when he was about three years old, he saw a man in a hat with a band across his chest. He identified this man as Captain Henry Morgan, the pirate. This was not strange to me as my father was born within walking distance of Morgan's Bluff in North Andros, Bahamas. Well, my father ran towards the man at full speed. His grandfather asked him where he was going. When he replied that he was going to the man who was calling him, his grandfather intercepted him and turned him upside down. He never saw Morgan again. However, later as a student, he identified a picture of Henry Morgan as the man who called him that day. Was someone calling Juliece?

The thought of Juliece seeing a spirit caused chills to race up and down my spine. I intercepted her. When she headed for the boundary, I cut her off again. The third time i stopped her she spoke to me for the first time- in a sentence!

"I scared", Juliece said.

Scared? Scared of what? Scared of whom? Did I cause her fear?I took no chances. Her father was dead. Stories abound of people who have wandered off in broad daylight and have not been seen or heard from again. I took her indoors. The experience of that day puzzled me. Doctors said that Juliece would be slow and maybe not talk until age five. But she was not two years yet and had expressed herself in clear language! What else could Juliece do that would surprise doctors and other people? Immediately I discerned the answer. God was employing me to find the answers and write her story! As her story progresses, it becomes more fascinating and thrilling.

For a Continuation  of Run Juliece Run, Click a link below.

Run Juliece Run Part 2

Run Juliece Run Part 3

Run Juliece Run Part 4