FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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THE GIFT By Ellen Sawyer This essay was contributed in Spring, 2000 . The author is referring to Annabelle Zahl and her guide dog Halo, featured in the June 1999 issue of the Edgewood Explorer.— ed. It had been several years since my friend, Nancy, and I had walked Edgewood Park to see the wildflowers. Last week, we set aside a day to enjoy an outing there. We knew the recent rains would have enhanced what we were going to see. What we never anticipated is how we would “see” the flowers on this particular day. As we climbed the small hill at the southern entrance, there was a lady walking ahead with a dog. With a second look, we realized it was a guide dog and the lady was blind. She walked with assurance along the trail. It wasn’t long before we caught up to where she had stopped as if to look and take it all in. She listened to our conversation identifying the flowers and then came over to ask about the owl’s clover. She asked if I would take her hand and let her feel the clover. After that, the three of us walked along and she often asked us to help her feel various flowers. She told us that she had come to the Park many times before she had become blind and knew the flowers well. She always seemed to sense where we were on the trail. When we reached a point on the path unknown ahead to the dog, she left us to retrace her steps to the gate. She also left us with “new eyes” to appreciate all we were observing that day. No doubt, she comes quite often to walk with her guide dog and perhaps others have experienced her feeling the flowers. For us, she confirmed that a preserve like Edgewood Park is partly about the flowers in the spring, but also so much more. Edgewood Park is a gift to the human spirit.` |
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