Donna Maglin Obituary

Donna Maglin attended Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak, NY. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Donna Maglin.

Graduation Year	Class of 1971
Date of Passing	(unknown)
About	quiltersmuse.com Blog Musings about quilts and much more; website: http://www.quiltersmuse.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posts Tagged ‘Donna Maglin’ On Being Blind Sunday, May 31st, 2009 For some reason, this week I have been thinking a lot about my friend, Donna Maglin. Blinded at birth by a machine that delivered too much oxygen, she could rattle off the long name of the condition from which she suffered for a lifetime. She never tried to hide the fact that she was blind by wearing sunglasses. She was a “real” gal. She walked with a cane, took buses and planes, and was fearless. When I think about her life, it is easy to see that she accomplished much more than some people who have sight. She was a graduate of Bates College with a B.S. in psychology. She worked for the state of New Hampshire as a word processor for seventeen years. That was what she did to earn her daily bread. However, she had a rich life beyond the confines of work. Donna played the banjo. She collected old, funky records of very early music – country music, that is. She was a contra-dancer and traveled all over New England to participate in dance events. She would find a way to travel all over the country to attend conventions of the National Federation of the Blind, or meetings associated with rats and mice, critters that she could not see, but loved and owned. Wherever she went, Donna put friends at ease because of her infectious laugh. Her sense of humor was unbeatable as was her passion for life. Sadly, in 1996, a brain tumor ended her life, at the age of 42. It is hard to believe that she has been among the missing for such a long time now. I have many good memories of Donna, and she is just one of the friends that God placed in my life for only a short time. We can all inspire each other, and Donna’s love of life, in spite of not being able to see at all, taught me some basic life lessons: 1) No matter how little we may think we have, we can always give something to others. 2) Those who dwell on their own disabilities, limit themselves from reaching out to help anyone else. 3) Perceived obstacles to our happiness, are often just that: perceptions. We can get around the boulder, climb over it, or crawl under it. We might even chisel our way through it. Anyone who wants to find a way to do something, will eventually be able to do it. 4) A smile costs us nothing, but is the best gift we can give to each other. 5) Laugh at your problems and you’ll begin to diminish them. You win. They don’t. I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. We never know how long we will be here, and the odds of continued longevity decrease with age. In the 42 years that Donna Maglin spent on this earth, she brought sunshine into the lives of others, and developed a network of friends who were there for her, in good times and in bad. I was blessed to know this funny, quirky, old maid who loved life, music, and other people, and who taught me to look past the obvious fact that she was blind, and enjoy her for who she was. I would only wish that in your life, you could look past someone’s disability, whatever it is, and see who the real person is, behind the problem. You may be blessed with a life-enriching experience greater than imagined. Patricia Cummings Quilter’s Muse Publications