In recent months, I've developed some blurriness in my left eye. Everyone's eyesight declines some with aging, as least as far as I know. In 2002, I had LASIK surgery and my extreme nearsighted since very early childhood immediately became 20-20. No more glasses/no more contacts! It really was life changing! But since Christmas, I've noticed some defects in the middle of the field of vision with the aforementioned left eye including straight lines developing a bend. I'm no fool so I turned to the Internet for medical advice. My symptoms didn't fit the symptoms of glaucoma, which Mom had, or a detached retina, even though my retina suffered childhood damage. With the help of Jean Adams, our WCS financial wizard and knower of all things insurance related, I was able to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist nearby with a good reputation this past Saturday morning at 8:15. I was the first one to the doctor's office!
After wading through the paperwork and the pre-exam exam from a wonderful staff, I met the doctor. It was mostly good news. My right eye is 20-25 and my left is 20-60. He said my eyes work well together as my right eye is far sighted and my left is near sighted with my better eye doing most of the work. We talked about the retinal scarring I had and while it's there, he didn't think it's getting worse. The doctor advised a test which would give a more precise reading of the retina situation. It involved injecting dye into my veins (YIKES!) and then taking a series of pictures of each eye. I hate needles but I love my vision, so OK! It was amazing to look at the photographs within my eye. The doctor walked me through the computer enhancements and explained everything. He recommended that I come in for a checkup in six months just to get an update but for now, I'm good to go. I can live with that!
As the nurse was fixing to inject my vein with the dye, she gave me a warning although not a very scary one. She told me that it would temporarily turn my urine bright orange. I kind of took that with a grain of salt but sure enough, it was like Orange Crush! As the day wore on, the Orange Crush turned the color of antifreeze- I'm sure you get the picture. I wasn't sure how much dye entered my bloodstream but I was surprised how long it lasted. But then something very weird happened. I was driving down Fondren Avenue, about two blocks from my apartment, when my left eye started watering. I looked in my rear-view mirror and there were green tears rolling down my cheek!! I'm sure it was simply the remainder of the dye leaving my body but for a couple of minutes, I felt like The Hulk! It didn't happen again. One of my students asked why I didn't take a picture and I told them I didn't have my camera with me. She asked, "Why didn't you use your phone?????" If you know me, that wasn't a logical question!
I'm not sure why I was tickled with the green tears. Maybe because it was just so different than anything I've never seen. Helps as well that there was no sadness involved, just the byproduct of having my eyes dilated six hours previously. Maybe it was just the relief of knowing I'm not going blind in the immediate future! From the beginning of time, tears have been tied into human emotion but mine were not of that nature. The tears of Jesus were. He wept over Jerusalem and He wept upon the death of His friend, Lazarus. In Hebrews 5:7, we're told,
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."
Why did the Son of Man/Son of God shed tears? For Lazarus, for His people, and for you and me. He cried for me; that's so hard to grasp. My tears four days ago were essentially meaningless, an act of biological cleansing. Praise God His tears had the deepest meaning, the significance that I take for granted. I should cry tears of joy daily for the ones that wet His face for me. Those kind don't require an injection.
For my former FCS students:
Coach Hawley's four favorite songs about tears:
1. Lonely Teardrops- Jackie Wilson
2. Tears Of A Clown- Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
3. Tears On My Pillow- Little Anthony And The Imperials
4. 96 Tears- ? And The Mysterians
Applicable quote of the day:
“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.
Washington Irving
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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