My Sight is Back

            This blog is not intended to be about me.  However there is something on my mind that I feel as though I should shout from the housetop. And here it is:

            About ten years ago I had a surgery on my right eye for a cataract removal.  Even though they told me that only about one in several thousand ever go bad I won the lottery.  Mine went bad.  Shortly after the operation my retina began to detach.  That happened eight times and ended with a final surgery that left my retina in perfect shape.   Only all of the blood stopped going to that eye because of the many surgeries and I was left blind in that eye. After fighting my computer for a while I became aware that I was no longer able to do the computer assisted design by CAD and was forced to retire.  I immediately failed retirement.  I did not want to retire.  I wanted to work.  I loved the work I was doing.  And anyway I could no longer drive a car as well so what was I going to do? So for the years since then I watched my sight go away bit by bit. 

            Please don’t quit reading yet!  This all has a happy ending. 

            The doctor who did the final surgery had me coming back once a year to see if there were any new procedures that could return the sight in that eye.  And each year a cataract in my left eye was beginning to grow.   Now reading was becoming harder and harder to the point that I no longer even wanted to try to read.  I tried to hide the fact that seeing was difficult for me but it was reaching the point that I could no longer keep it secret.  So I did what all good husbands do.  I asked my wife what I should do.  In her kind way she softly explained to me that I was the only one who could make the decision as to whether or not to have the cataract in my good eye removed.  She has just recently had both of her eyes done without any problem.  She talked to the doctor about me and he said that he could not see any problem with my having it done. So I went to him for advice.   He looked at everything and convinced me that he would be able to at least save the left eye.

            So the operation was done.  Having had so many other such operations I expected to spend the next few weeks recuperating.  But not so!  The day after I awoke and went to my bedroom window and looked out.  And there to my surprise were colors.  It had been years since I had seen colors.  I looked around the room and everything I looked at was clear.  Did I have new glasses?  No!  Had I died? No!  I ran into the kitchen where Linda was and there she stood, the same beautiful woman I married fifty four years ago, cooking something as always.  She was smiling and looking at me.  I could see her eyes.  They were glowing. 

            So am I thankful?  You have to be kidding!  Of course I am thankful.  I am thankful for the doctor who used that fine mind God gave him to learn how to fix eyes.  I am thankful for all the many people- family and friends- who cared enough to pray for me.  But most of all I want the world to know that I am thankful to God who loved me enough to give me back my sight.  I can write every day for the rest of my life and will never have the words to completely say what that has meant to me. 

            If what I have written sounds too good to be true then it is all right for you to think that if you want, but all I can say is that all of my life I have been a liar but this time I am telling the truth.  I am happy!  And I love you and there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it.  So hug somebody. And stay off the road.  They let me drive again.