It was a warm spring day. The sun was shining brightly. A few scattered puffy white clouds floated around the canvas of the blue sky.

It was a wonderful day for a school trip, which was planned shortly after Thanksgiving. It was now the week after Easter. A fair bit of time had passed; but there had been a lot of details to iron out. It wasn't often that a weekend trip was planned for twenty students whose age range was from fifteen to seventeen. The group consisted of fourteen girls, six boys and six volunteer parents.

We were the science champions and our treat was this trip. The housing arrangements was the boys were divided into two groups of three and buddied up with the two male parents. Each group would have their own cabin which was equipped with four beds, a full bathroom, TV and radio and a small kitchenette. The girls were grouped with the four female parents and housed in similar cabins.

The bus driver lucked out because he was housed in the main building in his own room. He was to be available for transportation to the various events. The weekend was a win-win situation for all involved.

The travel time was a little under four hours. The country side was radiant with the blossoms of life; colors were abundant. We were less than thirty minutes from the science convention center.

Have you ever had a moment in your life that is responsible for changing your life? A moment like no other moment!

A couple of the girls decided to powder their noses before we arrived. Boys being boys they instantly started imitating what the girls were doing using mime. Suddenly, one of the sixteen year old guys reached over the back of the seat and grabbed a compact. The game was on. Hoots and laughter filled the bus.

It became a moment when all the stars were aligned correctly for a catastrophic event. The sun was in the right position to cause the reflective rays to bounce off the side mirror thru the window and for the second bouncing off the open compact into my eyes. I think the result was like looking at an eclipse without coverage.

Welcome to the world of dark. Everyone was sure that after my eyes adjusted after the flash, everything would be fine. Wrong.

By the time we reached the science center there was an ambulance and an ophthamologist. My parents had been called and advised of the situation. I spoke briefly with them and assured them both that I was not in any pain; but that I was scared. In fact, I was terrified. In a literal blink of my eyes I had entered the black darkness of being blind.

I was screened at the local hospital and then transported back home. This time there was no scenery to see, no bright colors. There would be months of tests and more test but I remained in the dark.

I learned to safely ambulate, I returned to school with an assistant, I learned braille. I eventually got a wonderful guide dog, who gave me a sense of freedom from the dark. I remember the colors. My smell is so much more distinct and my hearing is phenomenal.

But I do continue to live in a world of dark.