THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022, STORIES

 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022, STORIES

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2)

*****

Felicia Torres woke up and stretched.  Something wasn’t quite right.  She could see through her left eye, but her right eye was all black except for a little sight right at the edge.  

She immediately got up and splashed her face with cold water.  No change.  She bent over and looked in the mirror.  No change.  She saw the same face looking back at her.  Both eyes looked normal - but she could only see with one eye.   

She went into the kitchen, where her mother was making oatmeal with raisins.  

“Mom”, started Felicia. “I can’t see through my right eye - other than a little sight at the far edge.”

Elena turned and looked.  She stopped stirring the oatmeal and moved it off the heat.  Looking intently at her daughter, she said “I can’t see anything.”  

Elena continued, “Close your left eye.”  Holding up three fingers she asked, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Felicia said with some frustration, “I can’t see anything Mom.”

Elena continued, “Close your right eye and open your left eye.” Felicia did so.

Elena asked, “How many fingers am I holding up?”  This time she had only her index finger up.

Felicia answered “Only one, Mom”.  

Elena asked “Which one?”

Felicia answered, “Your index finger”.

Elena answered “Okay we have a problem. Do you have classes today?”

Felicia answered, “Only my accounting principles class at 1:00 p.m.”

Elena replied, “Email your professor and I’ll see if we can get in at the doctor’s office”.

*****

Dr. Megan Rice, the Torres's Primary Care Physician, saw Felicia at 10;45.  Using her vision-checking device, she said, “Felicia, it seems as if the retina in your right eye is detached.  I will call Austin Retina right now, maybe they can work you in today.”

At 1:17, Dr. Richard Ortiz saw Felicia.  He carefully examined both eyes, but said, “It’s a detachment,” said Dr. Ortiz.  Felicia Torres feared the worst - blindness at age 19.  She could see only about 10% out of her right eye.  The rest was black.

Turning to Felicia’s mother Elena, Dr. Ortiz said, “When a part of the back of the eye - that is the retina - becomes detached, you lose most of the vision in that eye.  The longer the detachment is there, the less likely to regain sight.  I can operate today at 4:00 p.m. Is that possible?”

A billion thoughts rushed through Felicia’s brain.  Blind?  At age 19?  Her life was over.  Done.  No college, no more basketball, no more future - other than a red-and-white cane.

Elena had similar thoughts, but holding Felicia’s hand said “Yes, that is possible”.

*****

Elena remembered the verse, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.  For those who live in a land of deep darkness a light will shine.”  It was a prediction from Isaiah about the Messiah - about Jesus and about spiritual darkness.  Was it also about the physical blindness of her daughter?  

*****

Elena, still holding Felicia’s hand, was praying silently “God be merciful to Felicia”.  

Felicia was also silently praying, “In everything give thanks”.

*****

Back at 3:45, Felicia and Elena waited until 4:05 to be admitted to a processing room. Felicia changed into a hospital gown, and a nurse took her blood pressure (which was a little high), and pulse.  An anesthesiologist came and talked with them.  Felicia had never had surgery before and was very anxious.  The anesthesiologist explained what she was going to do.

The anesthesiologist put a tube in Felicia’s left arm and hooked up some kind of liquid dripping from a clear bag on a pole over her head.  Elena and the anesthesiologist were talking but, within two minutes, Felicia was asleep.

The surgery was fairly straightforward.  Felicia was knocked out, and Dr. Ortiz did scleral buckle surgery where the retina is pushed back in place.  She was not to drive for three days and to wear a black patch over the eye for three days.  

After three days, a return visit to Dr. Ortiz confirmed that the surgery was successful and she would be able to see normally.

*****

Twelve years later, Dr. Felicia Torres did her first retina attachment as the primary doctor with Dr. Ortiz as her assistant.  

During those twelve years, Felicia went to college and to medical school with an emphasis on eye diseases and ophthalmology.  She had stopped playing basketball as she didn’t want to have a concussion that might bump her eye and take out the repair.

*****

And, it seemed that God had answered both prayers that day.  Elena’s prayer of “God be merciful to Felicia” was answered, and Elena’s prayer “In everything give thanks”.

*****

I’m not an expert on prayer - other than we are to pray expectantly.  It doesn’t seem like God is a “genie” and grants every wish.  We are not (yet) in heaven.  We are in a world that has God and the enemy; a world of good and bad.  

I have had prayers answered (hallelujah), and prayers that haven’t seem answered yet.  Yes, I want those prayers answered affirmatively RIGHT NOW (aka - reconciliation with my family).  I believe it will happen and now I’m enjoying my senior life walking with God in his great LOVE.  

Both prayers in this short story are good.  Asking for God’s mercy, grace, peace, joy, kindness, and love are to ask to be closer to God.

Asking “In everything give thanks”, says “God, I’m yielded to you.”  You are infinite, infinitely holy, infinitely good, and loving.  

*****

I write from the Judeo-Christian viewpoint.  I haven’t studied other religious viewpoints enough to understand their prayer procedures.  I know that Muslims pray five times a day, Buddhists have prayer flags and other procedures, and some meditate as a form of prayer.  

The concept is that there is something far greater than myself going on here.  A friend was talking about the amazing photographs from the newest space explorations and the billions of stars and the likelihood of other planets like the Earth.  There seems to be something far greater.  And, I need to learn and be part of His/Her/Its/Ahh/The Force plan!

The plan seems to be basically one:

LOVE WINS

Merry Christmas!!!  

Karen Anne White, ©, December 21, 2022