Butch, I feel the emotional pain you are experiencing. Hopefully in time,
it will slowly erode to a much more tolerable point. 

My wife and I are extremely close. We go about everywhere together, and do
about everything together. We try to make time every night to share some
quality time together by watching TV or a movie or something. Like last
night we watched old episodes of The Honeymooners, starring Jackie Gleason.
Yesterday morning we went out fishing together. She can pilot a boat better
than most of my male fishing buddies. She is a real lady, very feminine,
but she can also filet fish! 

You are so right about all of our relationships, whether it be our spouses
or our friends. You can have all the material wealth in the world, but
without friends and relationships with people, we would live a pretty
lonely existence.

Actually, it is amazing how many friends we develop from ham radio and yes,
even our computers. Just as one example, Tracy Son, KK4QL, and I have never
met in person, but we are good friends and have known each other for many
years through ham radio.  

Ron, K8HSY


At 05:25 AM 5/28/2013 -0700, Butch Bussen wrote:
>So true.  Libbie was one in a million and I can only hope I gave as much 
>to her as she gave to me.  Those of you who are fortunate enough to be 
>in a good relationship, don't take it for granted.  Apreciate the time 
>you have as it can soon be gone.  It has been 2 and a half years, and I 
>still feel like there is a big hole in my life and I suppose there 
>always will be.
>73
>Butch
>WA0VJR
>Node 3148
>Wallace, ks.
>
>
>On Mon, 27 May 2013, Tom Behler wrote:
>
>> Amen, Lou!!
>>
>> It's always very easy to fall into the trap of focusing on our own
needs, at
>> the expense of our sighted partners, which is why open communication is oh
>> so important, as is true in any relationship.
>>
>> Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Lou Kolb" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2013 3:19 PM
>> Subject: Re: sighted partners
>>
>>
>>> intresting discussion.  I met my wife, Kathy, through ham radio.  She is
>>> WB3KRN and we've been married for 24 years.  She is sighted and I am
>>> totaly
>>> blind.  We do quite well most of the time and seem to compliment each
>>> other's abilities although, since she has her own health issues and
>>> doesn't
>>> get out as much as she'd like to, she sometimes hungers just to make eye
>>> contact with someone.  We often focus on our needs as people who are blind
>>> but our sighted partners have their own needs which are just as valid.
>>> 73,
>>> Lou  WA3MIX
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Steve Dresser" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2013 1:41 PM
>>> Subject: Re: sighted partners
>>>
>>>
>>>> Well said, Harvey.  I struggled with this question a lot when I was in
>>>> college, and finally decided that although many things might be easier if
>>>> I
>>>> had a sighted wife, it was ultimately more important to marry someone who
>>>> accepted and understood me regardless of whether that person could see or
>>>> not.  It seemed to me that some sighted girls wanted to go out with me
>>>> because they saw an opportunity to rescue someone, and I definitely
>>>> didn't
>>>> want that.  I don't think that was true in all cases, but I got tired of
>>>> trying to figure out when it was or wasn't true.  If I were looking for a
>>>> mate today, I think that would just be one of many issues I'd want to
>>>> resolve.  If my potential mate could see, we'd have different issues than
>>>> if
>>>> she were blind, but ultimately it would come down to how well we could
>>>> work
>>>> through whatever issues we had, and where we came out at the end of the
>>>> process.
>>>>
>>>> Steve
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Harvey Heagy" <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2013 11:03
>>>> Subject: Re: sighted partners
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I agree with you, Buddy.  While it certainly is not a bad thing to have
>>>>> access to sight, one must consider do they want a partner or a man or
>>>>> maid
>>>>> servant?  After all, we are asking someone to accept our blindness,
>>>>> shouldn't we as blind people ourselves do the same thing for another
>>>>> blind
>>>>> person?  Those blind people who want a partner just for sight's sake, or
>>>>> use
>>>>> their sighted children for servants, guide dogs Etc. usually end up
>>>>> regretting it.  What makes or breaks a relationship to me is, do you
>>>>> love
>>>>> that person for what they are, and is that person the one you want to
>>>>> spend
>>>>> the rest of your life with in good times and bad?
>>>>>
>>>>> I am no stranger to that balance of power situation you spoke of.  I was
>>>>> briefly engaged to a sighted woman in 1976, but it was clear early on
>>>>> that
>>>>> she intended to use her sight to manipulate me which I wouldn't have.
>>>>> Her
>>>>> and her father's attitude basically was, "we don't care if you marry
>>>>> her,
>>>>> but we're calling the shots."  You sign your name to a blank piece of
>>>>> paper
>>>>> and we'll fill in the details.  No way, not for me.
>>>>> Harvey
>>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
Dr. Ronald E. Milliman, retired Professor Western Kentucky University
Ph: 270-782-9325 
Email: [log in to unmask]

Chair, American Council of the Blind Public Relations Committee

Chair, American Council of the Blind's Monthly Monetary Support Program
(MMS) Committee

President: South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind (SCKCB)