Be Still, My Soul

An exciting game of prison tag was in progress, and Joanne watched for her chance to kick the stick. There's an opening, she thought gleefully. She raced toward the stick, intent on reaching it before the guard noticed her. With her limited side vision, she failed to see second-grader Louella come running toward her from the side. Crash! They both landed awkwardly on the gravel in front of the schoolhouse.

"Can't you be more careful!" Louella's older sister, Stephanie, said sharply from her place on base, where she had seen the two girls collide. "Watch where you're going."

Tears stung Joanne's eyes. She acts like I did it on purpose, she fumed to herself. If I had a choice, I would never hurt anyone.

Joanne Fox is growing up in the hills of Missouri. She has faithful Christian parents and a loving family around her. Like all ten-year-old girls, she wishes to be "like everyone else." And in many ways, she is.

But unlike so many others, Joanne has a degenerating disease called retinitis pigmentosa. As she grows to adulthood, the added years bring added realizations of the limitations she faces. Can she find contentment and rest in God's will in spite of the disease that could eventually affect her whole life?

Written for teenagers.

Author Note: Like Joanne in this story, I have retinitis pigmentosa, which causes tunnel vision and night blindness. I also have sensory ataxia, which affects balance and the sense of touch. Most of Joanne's experiences are my own, though I added details to make smoother reading.

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