Seeing The Alarm Clock Clearly

Aside from my family and Freight train, there's not a single person reading this that has known me without glasses (or contacts). I got my first pair of glasses in the 4th grade, at about 9 years old. Since then, I have been dependent on them to see clearly. One of the greatest moments of my life was when I got contacts for the first time in the 6th grade. Growing up as an athlete, glasses were more of a hindrance than a help, so not having to worry about them anymore was a blessing. I'll never forget having to wear my recreation spectacles (RecSpecs) as a catcher in Little League. Every time the ball got past me (which was a lot) and I pulled my face mask off, so too went the RecSpecs. I had to squint just to find the ball up against the backstop!
Despite the plethora of inconveniences that come with having to wear glasses or contacts, just about everyone with terrible vision will tell you that not being able to see the alarm clock in the middle of the night is one of the worst. Everytime I wake up, I have to squint just to make out the numbers...and I'm not even 3 feet away!!!
I'm bringing all this up because on Monday (thanks be to God) I am getting corrective eye surgery! It's something I've deeply desired for a number of years, but haven't been able to afford. Thanks to the Army (something you won't hear come out of my mouth very often), I am getting it done for free! Of the two types of surgery (PRK and Lasik), I have chosen PRK, primarily because of it's long-term effects on the eye; however, the recovery process is longer, and much more painful. In short, they burn the top layer of the eye off before correcting the lens, and your body has to naturally recreate that top layer by growing it again. The pain has been compared to having sand in your eye or thousands of needles poking them every second for as long as four straight days! Not looking forward to that, but as long as I can endure the pain, the benefits will be well worth it.
I ask for your prayers next week as I undergo this surgery. There's a very small chance things could go wrong, but you never know that the Lord has in store for you. So, just pray for a smooth recovery.
Lord willing, the next time I see each of you, it'll be with my brand new eyes!
Take care.