by Charlie Crawford
Have you ever tried to capture the fullness of a memory? That little puppy rooting around your lap or the new kitten softly asleep in the knowledge of your protection? The warmth of family and friends as you giggled your way through childhood? The bittersweet remembrances of young love and the accompanying rush of music that once filled your ears? As life unfolds, we are given many gifts and presented with many challenges, each in their time and each contributing to the abundance of our life stories and the chapters they encircle.
There is a particularly important chapter in each of our lives that can be a place of great joy and sharing, of accomplishments that reach far beyond ourselves and of growth for all who partake. It’s our local ACB chapter and it offers the bounty of what we give and the promise of what we can be.
For some, our ACB chapters are a place to share life experiences and to grow in friendship and appreciation for one another. What better place to be than with friends who will share the joke, help bear the pain and always look forward to seeing us again.
For some, our ACB chapters offer a place to dream of a better life for all. Here our chapters can become powerful engines of change in our local communities. They can foster the installation of accessible pedestrian signaling, educate a cab company or restaurant about the needs of people who are blind, or even print letters in the local newspaper on issues of concern. Our chapters can do a million good things — from the ideas and dreams of local ACB members, and all it takes is the willingness to join hands in what is truly a shared labor of love.
Is there a chapter missing in your life or in that of folks you know? The story of ACB is not built on the great deeds of a few, but rather through the everyday glory of every member! Come and add the wisdom of your life experiences, the warmth of your heart and the support of your hands to ACB, and let’s make that local chapter all it can be in a story that lives and shines for all who dare to write it.