Sunday Thoughts

"To have faith in Jesus Christ means to have such trust in Him that we obey whatever He commands. There is no faith where there is no obedience."

~Elder L. Whitney Clayton, October 2001 General Conference

***

I had an experience this past week that scared the beejeebers out of me. Our eyes are a most precious commodity, and I cannot tell you how important they are to me. I was driving my granddaughters home after a pleasant time going to a movie and enjoying dinner at The Olive Garden afterwards. I noticed a light flashing in the corner of my right eye whenever I turned my head to check traffic.

At first I told myself that it was merely a reflection from the lights on my glasses. But as time went on during that trip home, the flashes occurred more and more frequently. By the time I dropped them off, I had a very hollow feeling inside. To be quite certain, I took my glasses off before I resumed my journey home, and quickly turned my head from side to side. My worst fears were confirmed.

Upon my arrival at home, I shared this unsettling news with my dear husband. Together we decided that we should call our eye doctor first thing in the morning about the matter. How grateful I am for the Priesthood he holds and I asked him for a comfort blessing, which he gave to me. I was comforted immediately and was able to sleep peacefully through the night.

The next morning we called the doctor only to find that he was out of town. They called another doctor and arranged for me to see him. This doctor was an opthalmologist who specializes in surgery and diseases of the retina. It was comforting and disconcerting all at once to be seeing a specialist.

He examined my eyes very carefully after fully dialating them. Miracle of miracles, he said that what had happened to me was a normal part of aging. Some of the vitreous gel that fills the inside our eyes may thicken or shrink and pull away from the back wall of the eye causing floaters. The flashing is caused by the vitreous gel rubbing or pulling on the retina.

Right now I am okay. However, it is a time to be very watchful of lightning bolt flashes or severe and extended flashing or myriads of new floaters. He will follow up with me next month.

It is a time for increased faith and trust that all will be well with my eyes. He has not limited any of my activities and has suggested that there are no vitamins that will cause the floaters to disappear. So, I pray that nothing else will go wrong, that the flashes will diminish and leave entirely, and that there will be no more new floaters.

It is also a time for gratitude for all the blessings that are evident in my life.

Gloria