God Uses a Blind Woman for His Glory and Her Growth

Retinitis Pigmentosa Awareness Month

I never thought I’d meet another legally blind author, let alone one with the same diagnosis as me of Retinitis Pigmentosa. But when God wants to show himself, he does it in a big way. Amy Bovaird and I learned we are also both Christ followers and taught English as a Second Language. We were instant friends. I’ve invited her to share a piece of her story with you today and pray her encouraging words bless you.

Welcome, Amy!

Thank you so much for hosting me this week, Heidi. The timing is good – while it is still Retinitis Pigmentosa Awareness Month. In the past, I have tried to use these special times as a release for my books or in some way to shine a light upon this eye condition and how God sustains us through doubts and fears but also brings us plenty of enJOYment in the midst of it all.

But at the moment, I am just plugging myself into life again after the devastating loss of my brother.

Recovering from Grief

I’m not a stranger to loss. I have lost four members of my family, three babies, much of my sight, and my marriage. I was able to handle those losses, but losing my brother, who was just nine months older than me, broke me. His was both a fast decline and a slow, painful battle.  He went to a nursing home for the last five months of his life because I couldn’t provide the level of care he needed. I am certain God kept that door closed for our good. But it still hurts. The wonderful news is that having to go through so many deep valleys and my ongoing sight loss enables me to reach out to others to encourage them.

Having to go through so many deep valleys and my ongoing sight loss enables me to encourage others.

Having to go through so many deep valleys and my ongoing sight loss enables me to encourage others.

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Heidi and I are Christian authors with RP and create our stories to impact our readers. She plots fascinating stories in her head with a plan to share the gospel and witness through her characters. I weave faith-filled, often humorous, stories of far-flung places from my life as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher abroad. Coping with sight loss created drama and adventure, especially since I kept it a secret!

Mobility became my Mission

I blew my cover when my eye condition deteriorated to the point when I needed to train with a white cane. Mobility became my Mission. Regaining the confidence to get around changed my outlook so much! I infuse my memoirs with the lessons and truths God teaches me, and I try not to take my escapades too seriously.

In 2011, I retired as an ESL teacher to become an author. But the reality is, I couldn’t support myself with the ups and downs of sales. I tried to find an online teaching job. But God kept that door closed. It should have been easy with my education, job history, and all the many countries I had lived in. But instead, God provided an unexpected position as a cashier at a local grocery store chain.

Ministry as a Grocery Cashier

Now you tell me what kind of sense of humor God has placing a legally blind, hard-of-hearing (secondary disability) in such a position?!

But guess what, folks? I LOVE it! As a cashier, both during my brother’s illness and during my grief recovery, being amongst people has sustained me. It forces me to focus on others and has helped me to find some joy during that heavy period. It also helped me come out of my grief, little by little.

God’s Divine Placement

Sometimes, people who knew my brother came through my grocery line and told me stories about him. Sometimes I wanted to cry. Other times, rejoice. But overall, not isolating began the healing process.  

I CAN do this job! I am a good bagger (They call it a good ‘packer,’ but with my slight build, I joke I’m not a Green Bay Packer. But that is another story!). I especially love the elderly customers and those riding motorized carts. Almost every day, there is some kind of weird, strange thing I face, but we laugh it off. Or I do. They sometimes frown.

Bringing Awareness to the Retail Arena

I have been at my job now for over two years. So, I became comfortable enough to ask our store leader if we could do something for RP Awareness Month. They had never done anything like that in the past. But amazingly, I was given permission to record a webinar about RP and my challenges. We included three other speakers from the Sight Center of NW Pennsylvania.

When I was preparing for my talk, my humor snuck out. I said, “I have Retinitis Pigmentosa. And that is no PIGMENT of my imagination!” I love playing with words. We also had the bakery make a cake to celebrate the occasion. No one knew why we had a cake in Braille with an English translation until I posted a sign. It was so much fun!

I Can Still Serve In Ministry

Every day has its challenges. Whether at work or trying to write on a computer, I can no longer see very well. But in addition to those ministries, for several years now, I have had a pill bottle ministry. I collect pill bottles from the community, clean off the labels, dry them, and package them. Then I box them up and send them to Matthew 25 Ministries in Blue Ash, OH, where they, in turn, ship them out to third-world countries. 

I mention this because it is another outlet for me to serve God. As a woman who is legally blind, while I cannot see very well, I can still grip wash these bottles and know they are clean. It makes me feel useful, and I know how much it is needed from my overseas years.  I share this only to say God provides ways for us to serve wherever our skills and willingness lie.

God provides ways for us to serve wherever our skills and willingness lie.

We all need help. But those with any disability must overcome reluctance to ask for help. Sometimes, the line blurs between expectation and gratitude.

God Can Still Use Me

It would be so wonderful to see clearly, but I believe I am more valuable to God’s kingdom as a legally blind, active Christ follower than a sighted one. I get my customers to laugh and feel grateful for what they have simply by smiling.

I am more valuable to God’s kingdom as a legally blind, active Christ follower than a sighted one.

JOY comes when God opens doors for laughter and kindness. Everyone needs encouragement and gratitude, a heart that cares, and when it emerges from challenge, it is even stronger. In my memoirs, that’s what I share. I write on two topics: Mobility/Sight loss and Grief, and Child loss and Family Loss. One is a book of devotions and gives a glimpse into the realities of life: disappointment, hope, promise, and miracles. Yes, even miracles.

About the Author:

Amy Bovaird grew up in northwest Pennsylvania. At age 28, she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and declared legally blind. RP is a hereditary, degenerative eye disease that results in blindness. There is no cure to date. Today Amy has no peripheral vision. She jokes that she is at the end of the “tunnel” vision in her eyesight. Amy suffers from a dual disability: progressive vision and hearing loss. She is currently undergoing genetic testing to discover the cause of her hearing loss.

In 2016, Ohio Valley University, Amy’s undergraduate institution, awarded her the Distinguished Medal of Literature for “Mobility Matters: Stepping Out in Faith.” Amy’s other memoirs include: “Cane Confessions: The Lighter Side to Mobility,” and a memoir / devotional, “Seeking Solace: Finding Joy After Loss.”

Amy is an active member of several community groups, which include Pennwriters, West PA Authors, Toastmasters, the West County Lions Club, and the National Federation for the Blind. Though Amy no longer teaches in the classroom, she still educates by speaking to groups about the challenges of sight loss with anecdotes of faith and humor. She blogs about her experiences in hopes of bridging gaps between the sighted and the blind. In the rest of her time, she fights to stay on track with her writing, finding time to go to the gym or run outdoors, and bemoaning she is at the beck and call of her bossy cat.

Places to Follow Amy:

Website, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Pinterest, AllAuthor, BookLife. Watch a video on YouTube for more information from Amy.