My sister cannot see.
This has happened over the last several years; her optic nerve is dried and doesn't function. She has some days when she can see a bit, yet, for the most part hers is a world of gray.
She's resilient, she wheels around and navigates through memory. It took her awhile to request the audio description device at a movie theater and to turn it on when watching a DVD that has the feature. She will listen to what others say about the ducks at the pond or the beautiful sunset and then tell us as if she's seen it.
Ours is a world that relies heavily on sight and even more so in these times of TIK-TOK dance videos and live stream posts.
Persons with limited vision are not sought for their opinions or insights.
They are, however, a witness to adaption, perseverance, persistence in wanting and needing to be seen and listened to and respected.
This story of Jesus healing the blind beggar is found in all four gospels. When that occurs pay extra attention it's important, there is something there we need to learn.....
Perhaps we need to pause and go deeper than just surface glances that are easily labeled and then controlled.
Perhaps we need to ask directly those with lived experiences of being ignored, impoverished and viewed as inconsequential....then listen and learn and change.
Perhaps as we journey, our faces in our phones, we need to look around and notice and then respond to those we either never saw before or never looked for.