My Quest for Sight

"And they (Jesus and His disciples) came to Bethsaida.  And they brought a blind man to Him (Jesus), and entreated Him to touch him.  And taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes, and laying His hands upon him, He asked him, 'Do you see anything?'  and he looked up and said, 'I see men, for I am seeing them like trees, walking about.'  Then again He laid His hands upon his eyes, and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly."

Mark 8:22-25

 

Having been in Sunday School since I was six weeks old, I have heard many, many times about Jesus healing blind people.  Since most of the time very few details were given in the Bible, I assumed that these healings were done instantly with just a touch or a word spoken by Jesus.  But, as I have searched in recent weeks, I've noticed several instances, such as the one above, when a person's  healing from blindness involved a process rather than a single step.  In John 9:6-8, a blind man was healed using spit, clay from the ground, AND washing in the pool of Siloam.  Clearly, Jesus wanted the witnesses to his miracles to focus more on the message in the healings, rather than on the manner in which they were done.  (Thank you, Warren Wiersbe, for pointing that out to me).

 

I feel that in many ways I've been on a quest for better vision for most of my life.  I started wearing glasses for nearsightedness at age 10 and probably should have started much sooner.  When I was 15, I was playing basketball in PE and jammed my finger and broke my glasses.  Thus, began my LONG journey with contact lenses.  Mine were green.  Sorry, Steve, that the eyes you fell in love with aren't quite the color you thought they were.  I wonder just how many I lost or cracked during the next 39 years.  This was long before soft contacts or disposable ones appeared on the market, you understand.

 

While we were in Ecuador, I learned of a doctor in Quito who spoke English and had performed successful LASIK surgery on several of my fellow missionaries at a greatly-lower price than it could be done in the States.  That sounded great to me (but not so great to my brother who said, "Sure, Sis, I think we should ALL have delicate eye surgeries done in Third World Countries"), so I went for it, and for about three years I could see better than ever before.  Then, for some reason, the effect just seemed to start fading away.  This time, though, I had to go back to glasses because contacts would no longer fit.  Bummer.  BIG bummer.

 

About a year and a half ago, an eye exam revealed that cataracts were forming in both eyes, and then two months ago, it was determined that they had grown sufficiently to justify surgery.  In the meantime, I started saving my money to have a multifocal lens implant in each eye in order to finally get rid of the glasses (again.)  Monofocal lenses are much more common, but I always have the issue of wanting to be able to see music when I play the piano, to be able to look down at my hands, AND to watch the music director at church -- no easy feat for "compromised eyes." 



 

I had my left eye done on August 14, and the right one (see the big X in the picture above) on August 21.  No make-up.  Eye dilated.  Attractive surgical cap.  IV ready for anesthesia.  This was about 2 p.m.  I had had no food or water since midnight. 

 

Here I am resting at home a couple of hours after the procedure.  At least I have a little lipstick on, for heaven's sake.  Steve was a most attentive "nurse," and a friend brought supper.  Hopefully, the worst was over, right?

 

Well, back to "My Quest for Sight."  From August 14 through today (August 30) I have been able to relate more than ever before to the blind man in the first Bible passage of this post who saw men, but they looked like "trees walking."  My vision is still blurry.  Disappointingly so.

 

Yes, this is a "self-portrait," but I wanted you to see that my eyes look as if they've been in a battle of some kind -- pretty puffy, laden with all types of drops applied 4 times a day.  Cataract surgery is not for wimps.

 

I had a follow-up visit this morning that showed I'm making improvement.  I'm supposed to go back in a month.  Since I am at my core an optimistic person, I am choosing to believe what I read and what I've been told that in two to three months my vision will be crisp and clear.  I trust my doctor, and I know that he has other "tricks up his sleeve" to use until we get the results that we want. 

 

In the meantime, I can see clearly (in my mind, at least) why the blind people in Jesus' day were more than willing for Him to spit in their eyes, wipe mud in their eyes, or go and rinse their eyes in the pool of Siloam.  Biblical illustrations about sight, blindness, and vision are everywhere.

 

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face, now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known."  I Corinthians 13:12







6 Years Ago Today

SIX YEARS AGO TODAY - August 23, 2006 -- I got off the plane in Birmingham, AL, having spent the previous four years in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador as a Southern Baptist missionary.  I was alone.  Steve needed to stay another month, but I had a teaching job waiting and had to get started.

The International Mission Board is a superior missionary-sending agency.  I would not want to go to the field under any other umbrella.  They are THE BEST at providing for the needs of missionaries and their families, for training and know-how in the area of language and culture acquisition, and they understand how to get THE job done -- spreading the Gospel.  

However, once you are off  "the field," you are not coddled or babied in any way.  The skills of flexibility, independence, assertiveness, and self-motivation that are vital for survival in other countries are put to further use when you leave.  In other words, you are on your own.  

I wish someone had made my picture when I stepped off that plane.  If there was ever an example of a human being with a "deer in the headlights" look, I was it.  If ever a person needed for God to provide moment-by-moment guidance and grace through the dear friends He had given me, I was that person.  I had 10 days to take care of very basic, but critical needs -- transportation, a place to live, clothes, reconnecting with family, doing everything required for starting my job, and just figuring out how to survive in my homeland -- the good ol' U.S. of A. -- that had changed unbelievably in four short years.  

Transportation.  Daughter Laura picked me up at the airport in the car that had been found and bought through our friends Hugo and Cindy Estes.  When is the last time you bought a car solely on internet pictures and money transfers?  Obviously, we trusted Hugo's knowledge about cars implicitly, and he didn't let us down.  Thanks again, friend.

A Place to Live.  Laura and David let me crash on their couch and hug their four-month-old son Nathan that first night, but the next morning I got on the road to Decatur toward a one-bedroom, furnished apartment that my friend Virginia Smith had helped me to get by making calls and handling the deposit.  It was even smaller than I had anticipated -- I joked later that I could cook supper and flush the commode at the same time -- but it was a nest where I could "be" in those critical first days.  A trip to Wal-Mart took care of the essentials that were lacking and some food.  I started to breathe without hyperventilating.

Phone and Internet.  Next stop was the Verizon store to buy and activate a cell phone, and then back to the apartment to wait very anxiously for the Charter guy to hook up my internet.  That, folks, was CRITICAL.  1) Because that would be my primary way to communicate with Steve (oh, how I was missing him) and 2) I was taking 2 on-line classes through Athens State in order to renew my teaching certificate.  I had actually started those classes while I was still in Quito and didn't want to miss a single assignment -- Type A person that I am.  I must mention here that I can't imagine what would have happened if Martine Bates Sharp and Virginia Smith had not been in my life during the last weeks in Ecuador and the first weeks in Alabama.  I will forever be in their debt for all they did to make my job and the transition back possible.

Reconnecting with Family.  I saw Laura immediately and knew it would still be another month before I'd see Matt, but I also had a brand new son-in-law to meet on my first whole day back.  Julie and Brian married 5 days before I flew home (a story for another time).  Steve and I had talked to him by phone, but that was it.  They, along with granddaughter Allie, picked me up on Thursday night and took me to dinner.  As you might imagine, it was a little awkward to see your daughter's husband for the first time AFTER he's already a member of the family, but hey, he was (and is) a genuinely nice guy and loves Julie deeply.  What more could I ask?  Right?  And, to add to his list of good qualities, he's now the father of 4 more of my grandchildren with another on the way.  :)  (Again, a story for another time).  It was a few more weeks before I got to see my Dad and my siblings, but at least we were back within easy phone contact by now.

Clothes.  After wearing basically the same clothes for the whole four years and after losing a good bit of weight from healthy eating -- fruit, vegetables, almost nothing processed, etc., I gave all of my Ecuador clothes to the nuns who lived next door to us in Quito and brought only a few basic pieces in my suitcase to the States.  Once again, my friend Cindy Estes helped me by getting one of her friends to help me put together a basic teaching/living wardrobe on Friday of that first week.  Julie, Allie, Laura, and Nathan joined in for this excursion, so a lot of tension-relieving laughter was added to the mix.  

My Job.  God's intervention to provide for Steve and me was so evident when it came to this job.  Steve had sold his vet practice before we left, and I had resigned from my teaching position through Morgan County Schools.  How were we going to pay our bills?  And, even MORE importantly, how were we going to be able to get health insurance??  The music/art teacher at Priceville Elementary took a leave of absence.  Dr. Anne Knowlton, the principal, is a long-time friend who knew of my dilemma and offered me the job.  Hallelujah -- a salary AND insurance.  Then, some friends at Central Baptist knew of a veterinarian in Decatur who needed to take a maternity leave from her practice and wanted a veterinarian to keep it going.  Steve was coming to the States at the exact time she needed to take that leave.  Folks, I do not believe in coincidences.

The Board of Education allowed me to begin teaching the day after Labor Day, 2006, so once I had food, shelter, transportation, clothing, phone and internet, I worked like crazy to get my classroom ready for those first classes.  Ten days after getting off that plane I began the process of instructing 600+ students and meeting a staff full of co-workers.  

Today has brought all of those memories rushing back.  It was an amazing time, and once again, I am grateful to God and to the wonderful people who showed love and demonstrated true friendship just when I needed it most.

This was my school picture made on September 20, 2006.  I still look at little stunned, don't I?  And, did I mention that I also got a new haircut?  :)

An absolute truth for you to claim:  "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:19  Amen.  Amen.

My Summer Sanctuary

"He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul."

The picture above shows the place where I have spent the first hour of many days since late May.  We don't have our own pool, but this is the one within a minute of our house that we gladly pay HOA dues to use and enjoy.  My exercise goal for the summer was to "move my body more."  Not lofty, but still solid, don't you think?   This pool is close to the entry gate for our neighborhood, so I was able to observe during my comings and goings that no one seemed to use the pool before 9 a.m. every day.  Aha!  I realized I could have it all to myself if I got there early enough.  

Now for your hilarious mental image of the day, picture this.  Me, in the middle of this pool, with my hat, sunglasses, and AquaJogger strapped firmly in place (I can't swim, you know) bouncing rhythmically up and down, arms flapping vigorously to the beat of the music blaring from the speakers I've turned on.  If this doesn't create enough of a word picture, you should know that the only radio station available is 96.1 -- KIX -- COUNTRY!  Generally, I have splashed so loudly that I can't hear most of the words to the music, but I can feel the beat, and that keeps me moving and moving and moving.  One morning I sent my daughter Laura a text: "Imagine your Mom doing water aerobics to 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy.'"  She texted back that she fell out of her chair laughing . . . so you're not alone.  Go ahead and laugh.  I found an enjoyable way to accomplish my goal of moving, but in the process, so much more has happened.

I have been amazed at how many people and prayer needs God has brought to my mind while I've been out there churning away at that water.  I've seen beautiful cloud formations, and I watched as a pair of doves built an incredibly strong nest in the rafters of a nearby gazebo.  Mostly I have felt an overwhelming sense of peace in the reminders that God is in control of the universe, and I am NOT.  

After 35-40 minutes of "rhythmic splashing," I have turned the music off and just stopped to drip and pray.  As I've closed my eyes to soak up the quiet, God has brought each family member to my mind as I've lifted them and their needs for that day up to Him.  The faces of friends with both long-term and immediate situations have occupied my prayer time, too, and it's been so affirming to acknowledge His intervention and guidance.  It is so easy to "pray Psalms of praise" in a setting such as this.

The coolness of the water and the outside breezes this morning let me know that I'll soon be needing to find another way or place to "move my body" as fall and winter approach, and I'll also go back to some of my favorite prayer time spots around my house.  But, for a few more weeks, this summer sanctuary will continue to draw me and to serve the purpose of both physical and spiritual exercise.  And, now that 9 out of our 10 grandchildren have come to visit and swim here during the long, hot summer days, I find myself smiling as I see little "Grandchild Ghosts" all around the pool and remember all the laughter and fun we had.

The Evolution of Cousins Camp

 In the summer of 2008, our daughter Laura and her husband were in the process of moving to Knoxville, TN, and needed some help with their son Nathan.  We had the bright idea to take granddaughter Allie with us, pick up Nathan, and head to a cabin in Gatlinburg for a few days.  A change of scenery for us, quality time with some grandchildren, help for the moving folks -- a win-win.  Right?  Well, it turned out beautifully.  The cousins thoroughly enjoyed each other, and we enjoyed them.

 Granddaddy got to give some fishing lessons and some card-playing lessons, and we started thinking this was something we wanted to pursue in a more deliberate fashion.  Our three children were very close during their growing up years, but they had gotten very scattered and busy with their various professions/marriages/families.  The least we could do was to try to promote closeness among our children's children.  So, our goals became: 1) Spend quality time with our grandchildren away from their parents.  2) Create an opportunity for the Pearson cousins to know, love, and appreciate each other. 3) Give their parents something to look forward to in the way of a break from full-time child care.  4) Allow our grandchildren to know US better.

Along the way, we realized that this would take some intentional planning, and that we needed to start off in a way that (hopefully) we could continue through the years.  That's where the criteria of being "at least 3 years old and potty-trained" originated.  The grands needed to have a certain level of personal skills under their belts -- feeding themselves, dressing themselves, going to the bathroom with very little help, etc. -- in order for Steve and me to physically be able to handle the responsibility AND enjoy it.

For some reason we thought that buying a travel trailer would be the answer to everything.  So, our first official Pearson Cousins Camp 2009 brought together the firstborn children of each of our children -- Allie, Luke and Nathan.  We loaded them into a brand, spanking new camper, pulled by a nice new truck and took off for a campground in Panama City Beach.  Here they are below showing off their dolphin tattoos.  You will notice that Nathan looks like he's been in a fight.  Well, within minutes of getting him in our care, he took a nasty, head-first tumble down some outside steps.  He was "over it" in just a few minutes, but he kept the battle scars for the whole week.  I sure did hate calling to confess to his Momma.  :(

 The idea of having camp t-shirts was born during that first trip.  You'll see them proudly displaying these as we are loading up to leave.  We learned a lot on that trip about the habits of our grands -- what they liked to eat, drink, watch on TV, how well they could swim or how adventurous they were in the water, what made them laugh, what fascinated them at the beach or in a store, and how much they seemed to love each other.

 It was very interesting to watch 3 firstborn children jockeying for position in this setting.  With Allie being the oldest by 4 1/2 years, they quickly decided that she was the coolest and looked to her for leadership.  Fortunately, she is a happy, sweet, obedient child -- which made our job much easier.

By the next year, we decided that there wasn't a camper on earth that could accommodate FIVE grandchildren and 2 adults comfortably for a week, plus the idea of a long drive didn't really appeal to us since 3 out of the 5 eligible campers had a considerable drive just to get to the start of Cousins Camp.  So, we sold it.

 When Cousins Camp 2010 came around, we were in the middle of building our present house near the river in Limestone County.  So, we rented a cabin at Joe Wheeler, loaded up groceries, pool paraphernalia, craft supplies and games and made ourselves a great nest.  In the picture above, the kids are clowning around while we got everything packed.  In the picture below, Granddaddy Steve was "in his element" on the first morning baiting hooks and giving some fishing pointers.  We had access to a pool and a lake for swimming and we LOVED counting all the deer we saw along the road.

 Seth and Maggie were added to the mix in 2010 since they were now "3 and potty-trained."  They fit right in and added to the merriment.  Seth's parents were on a mission trip, and Maggie's momma had a new baby, so the timing was perfect for all concerned.

 Our new house was ready and waiting when Cousins Camp 2011 came around.  We still had the same five this year, so all of us knew a little more about what to expect from each other.  Seth and Maggie were now 4, Nathan was 5, Luke was 6, and Allie was 10.  Here they are about to ride to our neighborhood pool.  I'm the "designated driver," while Steve kept law and order in the back.  :)

 The above picture shows a rare moment when everyone was cleaned up, with shoes on and hair combed.  Can you tell how much they are learning to love each other?

 In 2011, we implemented 2 new things.  A Rules Chart and a Final Night Trophy Ceremony.  We discovered that the rules did several things.  It erased favoritism, and it made expectations about behavior more clear.  They actually did a great job of reminding EACH OTHER about the rules -- especially the one that said "No whining!"  In the trophy ceremony, Granddaddy called each one up individually and told them the special things he had noticed about them during the week.  For instance, one got the award for being the bravest, while another got the Most Improved Swimmer award.  One caught the most fish, while another was the best helper, etc.

We also started going on Mystery Trips.  They LOVED this idea.  Our big one in 2011 was loading up a picnic, telling everyone to be ready for swimming, and taking them to Spring Valley Beach.  They were enchanted, so I'm very sure that Mystery Trips will forever be a part of our Cousins Camp agenda.

 Less than a week ago, we completed the Official 4th Annual Cousins Camp 2012.  You can see us above just as the final 2 campers arrived (yes, count 'em, SEVEN).  Camp t-shirts and Rules Charts are in place.  Smiles and anticipations are in big supply.  Megan and Penelope have now been added to the group, so we have 2 three-year-olds, 2 five-year-olds, 1 six, 1 seven, and 1 eleven.  We also have $375 worth of groceries in the fridge, freezer and pantry, and something special planned for each day.

 What would we do without help from our friends??  I'd hate to have to find out.  Bright and early on Monday morning, Lauren Cox and her 2 very talented daughters arrived with about 30 different music instruments.  They demonstrated each one, played music games with the kids, and even allowed the kids to try as many as they wanted.  Above they are all involved in a stick-passing game.  It would have taken me a month to cover this much material in my past elementary music classes, and the cousins got it in just one morning.  Thank you, Lauren, Deborah, and Beverly.  Outstanding!

 On Wednesday afternoon, we headed to the art studio of my friend Sanda Bishop in Rogersville, and each cousin did a separate and unique painting -- which will now decorate my bonus room.  Sanda's ability to provide each child with a sense of accomplishment and success is a treasure.  Thank you, Sanda.

We went back to Spring Valley Beach on Tuesday.  Don't worry.  We had a wonderful teenager -- Mahaley Swanner -- with us for several excursions during the week to provide an extra pair of eyes and hands.  And, I would highly recommend finding additional help if you're taking a bunch of little ones swimming.

On Thursday we went to the Kiddie Movie in Florence.  Only $2.00 for a movie, Coke and popcorn -- what a deal!!  Then, since we'd been practicing good table manners and proper table conversation, etc. we did a test run to Cracker Barrel for lunch.  They passed with flying colors and got to go to the Dollar Tree for treats.  Happy day!

Between big events, we had games galore, crafts, archery, fishing, and "Go, Diego, Go."  They all slept well, ate well, and obeyed well.  I think I administered 1 teaspoon of cough medicine and 2 doses of Motrin during the week, and not a single Band-aid!  Yippee!!  Were we tired when they left?  You betcha.  Are we already making plans for next year?  Absolutely!

On the last morning, we were outside making pictures before their parents arrived.  I asked them to make various silly faces.  The one above is supposed to be "mad faces."  I think they're just mad/sad because we have to wait another whole year until the next Cousins Camp.  There will be NINE eligible campers next year.  Mercy!!  Maybe a year of working out and vitamins will get us ready.