Dakota, Help Me See the Light

When Gavin wakes up every day, his world has no light - he's been blind since birth and struggles daily with his balance, sense of place, and fears about things his parents assure him are not to be feared. But how does a blind child cope with being unable to see for himself? One sunny Saturday, Gavin's mother suggests that they visit an equine therapy ranch in their area of Northeast Florida. Despite his fears, he climbs into the car with his mother. The first things he notices when they arrive are the strange noises (horses snorting) and smells (horse and manure). When he meets his instructor, he senses she is kind and trustworthy but is still fearful of these new experiences - especially being placed way up in the air on an animal that must be tall enough to reach the clouds! As Gavin relaxes and learns to trust his instructor more, he also meets another rider, Jonathan, who is older than he - and one who has been at the ranch for a while. As they talk, Gavin learns they have many things in common and by the end of the day he has learned to identify a brand new world, one that is less frightening than it had been in the morning. Dakota's calm, smooth manner with Gavin allowed the boy to feel the sunshine on his face and body in an entirely new way and he learns to "see" with his body, though he cannot with his eyes. He's taken important steps towards building emotional as well as physical balance in a world that he's learned is now full of warmth and light, not only the darkness he's been focused on.