My daughter-in-law, Kimia, and I like to walk together when we get a chance, and she has a lovely 3 mile walk paced out for us on the Culver Academy campus where her hubby and our son, Josh, teaches. We were walking on a VERY cold morning a couple of weeks ago, and it was so cold I put my metal, freezing cold prescription glasses in my spacious, soft, deep front pocket of my sweatshirt. Did I say it was spacious and deep? I also had my car keys, a kleenex or two, and then my mittens in this same pocket. We walked the path (you can follow it with the red line on the map above) and enjoyed a long chat as we walked. When we got to the car my glasses were gone. Vanished. We traced and retraced our steps, even to the ladies’ room in one of the buildings… It didn’t help that there were leaves all over the ground. That contributed to the beauty of the walk – the autumn colors and crisp weather but it certainly didn’t make it easy to search. I’ve ordered another pair of glasses, because after countless phone calls, searches, and online lost and found postings, they still are out there somewhere. I feel like the woman who lost her coin and scoured her house from top to bottom to find it. I’m totally ready to party when they’re found…but the grounds crew have been busy with their leaf blowers and last of the season mowing, so I don’t have much hope. I was tempted to go out there with a rake, but certain sensible members of the family talked me out of raking 3 miles of leaves. LOL. Here’s the thing, though. We have an eye doctor friend who has blessed us over the years with discounted exams and glasses. We have the money to buy another pair. I have a spare pair to wear in the meantime. In fact, I have 2, but one of them makes my kids giggle at me and look at me with their heads tilted… But what of my friend, A’i, who is almost blind with cataracts but can’t get to the hospital for surgery and glasses because she’ll get attacked for her religious background? And what of our friends who struggle with not being able to see because they cannot afford the exam or glasses (maybe only $10, but that is crazy expensive to someone who lives off the land, with no salary, or even those who have a salary might make $40/month). There are so many people here, there, and everywhere, who face the world each morning with poor eyesight or disease. We are blessed and I am truly thankful.
