It has been said that Helen Keller said:

"I thank Him for my limitation, because by taking away my sight, He made it possible for me to see Him. By taking away my hearing, He made it possible for me to hear His voice. By taking away my ability to speak, He made it possible for me to commune with Him."

-- (bygrace@thru.faith), September 15, 2000

Answers

God robbed Helen of her ability to live a normal life. He robbed her of the experience to hear laughter, crying, and the singing of the birds. He robbed her of the ability to watch the beautiful colors of a sunset and the beauty of a rose. He robbed her of the ability to communicate verbally with another human being and to whisper the words from her lips to say I love you. Helen Keller suffered from martyrism, how pathetic.

-- no sympathy (nosympathy@ixnaynnnn.com), September 15, 2000.

It's not what happens to you; it's what you do with it.

-- (bygrace@thru.faith), September 15, 2000.

And yet everyone knows who Helen Keller is, while "no sympathy" is who?

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), September 15, 2000.

"It gives me a deep, comforting sense that 'things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal."

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold."

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."

--Helen Keller

-- flora (***@__._), September 16, 2000.

Neat quotes Flora. I never saw The Miracle Worker; I think I'll check it out. How did she communicate I wonder?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 16, 2000.

Thanks Lars. She communicated by 'signing' into another person's palm, and reading lips with her hands. That's all I remember...

You haven't seen the movie, eh? Get thee to a video store. The story of her teacher, Annie Sullivan, is an inspiring one to boot.

Helen Keller and my great aunt shared the same birthday, and struck up a long friendship and correspondence celebrating that & many other things. I never think of Helen Keller as a martyr - & just couldn't let that stuff above go by without her being able to 'speak for herself' a bit.

-- flora (***@__._), September 16, 2000.

Hey, "no sympathy", got any good Helen Keller jokes under that rock?

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), September 16, 2000.

Thank you again "bygrace" and flora. What would this forum be without shining lights such as you two?

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), September 16, 2000.

{OT - For Lars - since I mucked up your Mallarme the other day -}

~

My harvest is done, its promise ended,

Weak and watery sets the sun,

Day and night in one mist are blended,

My harvest is done.

~

Long while running, how short when run,

Time to eternity has descended,

Timeless eternity has begun.

~

Was it narrow the way I wended?

Snares and pits was it mine to shun?

The scythe has fallen so long suspended,

My harvest is done.

~

- Christina Rossetti

-- flora (***@__._), September 16, 2000.

Flora--

Oh, I liked that (Rosetti). Thanks.

"Was it narrow, the way I wended?

................

My harvest is done"

Yes, it has been narrow. But it is my harvest. Thank you God.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), September 16, 2000.