Oralee’s Light: Blind, Orphaned, and Homeless, She Learned to See

Oralee is blind, orphaned, and attacked by her own aunts. Now sheltering in a ragged tent, enduring a dust storm. But the storm and rickety tent felt like easy problems compared to the beating her aunts delivered earlier in the day. The thing was, Oralee ended up with more than a black eye, cuts, or bruises from the beating. That sort of pounding crushes the spirit. They’d tried to terrorize her. There’d been no one to help her or call off the furious women. She grappled with the horror, trying to get control of her mind and decipher why her aunts attacked her. As the sand storm raged outside her tent, her mind and emotions stormed inside herself. With a snap, a tent corner lifted then settled under a dust drift. Curling herself into a ball, she welcomed the distraction as she fought against pain. Her head and ribs throbbed that much harder, so she lay back and eased onto her side. I’ve got kids to watch out for. I have to do better or at least look better until I am better. Reaching out, she touched her two little brothers and her little sister, sleeping fitfully next to her. For their sakes, she had to survive. Except for her and their older brothers, the kids were at the world’s mercy now that Papa was gone . I don’t know if I’m able to do this Papa. I know I promised. Just remember I’m still a kid. A pang of shame poked at her. She knew she’d stick to the kids, fierce as a mama bear, and fight the entire world for them. From her two aunts, today, she’d learned she’d literally have to fight. When Mary Baidenmann started the journey to create a life for Oralee she didn’t realize she’d plunged into the adventure of a lifetime. “”The story took my entire life to develop – listening to my mother’s tales about her childhood and how it felt growing up blind. Especially since, she grew up in the middle of the Great Depression and the Oklahoma Dust Bowl years. There’s a lot of love and understanding in my heart for those whose vision is less than optimal. It takes courage to take on activities that come easy to those who see well.”” You’ll remember and think about Oralee and her family long after you’ve turned the last page. —- ISBN: 9798857375129