V is for...

Welcome to week TWENTY-TWO of my dear, dear friend Patty Wysong's From  A 2 Z 4 U and me. We're working through the alphabet - one letter each Tuesday. No rules, other than your post has to relate to the letter of the week. Link up at Ordinary Lives and check out everyone else's post. Click on the graphic above for more details, and stop by Patty's blog  to link up.

These seem to be getting harder and harder! I actually flipped through the dictionary (online, anyway), trying to find a good one for this letter. I briefly considered vacuum (my hate of them mostly, and how lonely ours is), vacation (how much I enjoy them), and "Valley Girl" (cuz I grew up as one). But they were discarded.

Then I remembered a "V word" that has a great impact on my life, especially over the past eight years. And that word is VISION.

My eyesight isn't the best - 20/400, to be exact. I've had glasses (or contacts - briefly, anyway) since sixth grade. My husband has been in corrective lenses since first grade. So, even before eight years ago, vision was an issue. We just assume our kids will eventually need glasses.

After his first brain surgery

But then in August of 2003, a tumor was found on my husband's brain, in the optic chiasm - where his two optic nerves meet. And his vision, in a word, decreased exponentially. He has no sight in one eye (though that eye is sensitive to light) and no peripheral vision in the other - about a 30 degree range of vision. He has other symptoms too (which I won't go into here), but this, I'm sure he'd agree, is the one hardest for him to cope with. He can't drive. He can't concentrate for very long without a headache. Bright colors overwhelm him. I think I'll stop there.

The patch helps with brightness

But God has been with us in so many ways during this journey. I could go on and on (and in fact do, in the book I've written on the topic - looking for an agent). Suffice it to say, he has shown Himself over and over, and we have been blessed through this trial. He has been our VISION through all this.

About five years ago (three year after Marc's turmor was found), I wrote a story for the FaithWriters writing challenge about sight and vision. While it isn't true, I don't think I could have written it if my husband and I hadn't been through what we did. Click here if you'd like to read "Crystal Clear." Even though it's one of my very early entries, it's probably one of my very faves.

So, that's my V. Be sure to stop by Peejers' blog for more V posts (and be back here for next week's - I already know what I'm doing with "W" :D).

Traveling Rough Roads With God's Strength