DEAR ABBY: When I read the letter from Andrea Ryner, writing on behalf of her friend who had recently lost his eyesight, I was reminded of "Abe" -- a man in our town.
Abe is retired now, but for years he made his living doing small-engine repairs on outboard motors, power saws, lawnmowers and the like. He did expert work, and some of the customers who brought items to his shop never realized that Abe was blind.
Some years back, he went into the woods to gather some special bark. He knew exactly where he was and what he was doing, but he was gone somewhat longer than usual. Some friends became worried and reported him missing. An informal search party was sent out, and one of its members encountered Abe in the woods. They exchanged greetings and Abe joined in the search for the "poor lost guy." About an hour later, it was mentioned that the man they were looking for was blind. Only then did Abe realize that the person he was helping to search for was himself!
There's no doubt that Abe was gifted in his ability to her, feel and think, and this story proves that while we rely heavily on vision -- in its absence, other senses can compensate. -- DORCAS PEARSON, HOQUIAM, WASH.
DEAR DORCAS: Abe is obviously a remarkable man who has managed to focus on his abilities rather than his disability. More power to him.