an elderly could no longer see to read, her favorite hobby, she refused to listen to books on tape--a prideful response. May God bless us with willingness to appreciate what we have, not complain about what we lost. Still, I haven't walked in her shoes.

Jane, what an apt reminder, in this season of stunning colors. I loved how you wove these two sentences: He’s God of soft touch and rustling sound and earthy scent, of chill and warmth, loud and still, tart and sweet. His glory wouldn’t be—couldn’t be—confined to only one sense. So true--and such a timely statement as we approach Thanksgiving. Thanks for blessing me today.

Loved your blog entry, but wanted to suggest a thought about your vision situation. I periodically have very similar symptoms, spots, flashes, floaters -- sometimes cutting off entire sections in my field of vision, so I actually need to turn my head to see things. The first time it happened, about four years ago, I was completely freaked out, thinking I was going blind, having a stroke -- I don't know what, but it was quite awful. I actually ended-up having an MRI. Here's what I discovered: there's a condition called an "ocular migraine." The headache isn't as severe as a full-on migraine, but vision is impacted. I get these one or two times a year, and they key to recovery is 800 mg of Advil and a nap. Maybe you're having ocular migraines also.

He’s God of soft touch and rustling sound and earthy scent, of chill and warmth, loud and still, tart and sweet. His glory wouldn’t be—couldn’t be—confined to only one sense.

Jane, what a timely reminder. In the rush of the upcoming holiday season, it's too easy to leave the holy out of holiday, and to take certain things for granted. Your words slowed me down,=, and reminded me of a simple yet profound hymn from my childhood: "Count Your Blessings." Not only are we to count them, we're to "name them one by one."

God bless you!

This is a beautiful story. I, too, take my eyesight for granted. But thankfully, the Lord has graciously given us five senses to use so we can appreciate all the beautiful things He has created. :)

Since I just came back from the eye doctor and experienced the yellow drops today, I related to your story. While my eyes are healthy, the gradual changes in Rx. each year remind me that the aging process is filled with changes that call for readjustments either great or small. The poem you shared, is a wonderful reminder that God does not change. His creation and the seasons are continual reminders that encourge and sustain me. Thanks for sharing "God's Grandeur". By the way, my daughter's dog is also named "Boomer". Blessings. Linda Davison

Hello
I can relate! I too have been bothered by the pesky floaters since I was 17 but still feel blessed to see beyond the floaters and experience God's beauty each day. When I go to the doctor and whine about them, he reminds me of the alternatives. Needless to say, I am silenced by the blessing I already have.

Blessings to you!

Jane, I loved this! I am a 26 year old who was born with Glaucoma, strange huh? I have been a science experiment my whole life. I thank God for my vision, and I'm so glad that God has blessed me to see what He does. It's hard at times, because I don't drive, but it could be so much worse. Thanks for this!

Hello, Jane,

I just read your entry about your black dot and light flashes, when you turned your head. I had to reread your story, because at first I thought perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying. As I reread I reached out to brush the little black bug from my computer screen and then remembered it was my new friend dropping by to say, Hi, I am still here!

Honest Jane, your description is so similar to what I said to the doctor, the day after I had the same experience. X-rays, examination, numbing eye drops and a week later, I still have episodes. However, I also have a diagnosis. Eye Migraines! The diagnosis was confirmed earlier today.

God works His plan as we do His work! I can still write, which I do for supplemental income and I can still pray. The migraines will come and go, but the Lord is ever present.

Blessing, faholo!

That was beautiful, and a reminder to us all to not take all we have around us for granted. I certainly know I will be taking more note of what God has set before me, and thank Him for it more oft too!

God bless,
Demelza

Very beautifully expressed. I love your descriptive writing. It made the message come alive. I felt like I was there. I'm a writer too and so this will go in my "best writing" file.
Reading this like was like eating a deliciously prepared lunch. Thank you!

Keep up the good writing!

This is written with such beautiful lyrical language, I returned in several places to reread.

So true, Jane! How is it that we mortals don't often appreciate God's abundant blessings (including all our senses) until we're at risk of losing them! I thank God for your heart-eyes and the desire to share.

Thank you for sharing. I have a wonderful friend who has gradually lost her eyesight over the past 8 years. She is grateful still for the memories, for the varying shadows of light she can still see, and the wonderful technology available to her. What a wonderful example she is to her friends and family. May God bless you

Thanks for sharing that, sis.

What an eye-opener (excuse the pun) and yes, it's funny how it'sot until we're lying in bed stuffed up with a cold that we appreciate the simple act of breathing in and out that we take for granted on a daily basis!

Thanks for the (very well-written) reminder not to take life - or God - for granted.

Bless you and your ministry. Hugs!

yes Lord thank you for reminding me that each day as I wake up I have my sight to allow me to see my husband beside me, my 2 children still curling in bed, the beauty of my home around me, and yes, the joy of being able to read my Bible and shre my special time with you. Truly, we do take our eyes for granted, most often than not. We choose what we label as pleasant and unpleasant, yet...when we really come to think of it...as we use our sight to view things from God's perspective...it changes a lot of things...yes, even unpleasant things! I am reminded to take time to view life from God's eyes through my eyes.

So that's what it is! Just out of my line of vision, to the side, I can 'sense' a type of sensation similar to how "travelling through a time-curtain" is portrayed in films. And it's like someone is squashing my eyeballs from the inside, or dribving a sharp blade through them...

I was reminded yesterday when I drove a friend to pick up her new glasses that being able to see at all is a gift from Him. In the office was a testimony of how a girl had come in for an exam and found out she had a brain tumor which, thankfully, they were able to remove with no damage. It went on to say that eye doctors should first of all act as doctors and be concerned with your health,
not only your eyes. I have an appointment
in a few weeks with my specialist. They have found a 'shadow' at the back of my eye. As my dad went blind with macular
degeneration, it would be easy to panic, but what I choose to do is to thank the Lord that whatever it is was found and that He will turn it for His glory and my good. p.s.
I'm a breast cancer recoverer as well.
Bless you all,
Pat

thank you for sharing your message.i didnt realize how much i take my senses for granted,thank you for making me pause and appreciate the free gifts of God.

I have black stringy stuff swirling in my eyes all the time. The doctor said that it is the result of having had Iritis, an autoimmune disease.

Dear Jane,

What a beautiful reflection. It especially caught my eye because I am writing a book manuscript titled Gentle Ecstasies: Reflections on the Healing Power of Beauty in the Midst of Melancholy. God uses beauty, I believe, to minister to and comfort us in the midst of pain. And, as you have said, beauty comes to us through each of our five senses: sight, sound, scent, taste and touch.

I would be glad to send you or anyone an excerpt from my book. I would also be glad to receive anecdotes from anyone about how God has used beauty of sight, sound, scent, taste or touch to provide comfort in times of depression, or at other especially difficult moments or seasons of life. (My email address is leonaenns@pppoe.ca)

Blessings to all of you, and Jane, thank you again for the gift of your beautiful writing. In language, too, we can find great comfort.

Jane, I am not a writer by trade, but a Praiser by Nature (since I was a small child) and I could see what you saw through your crafty pen. I'm 44 and had an awful scare a year ago at my last eye exam (a small fluid leak behind my eyeball/normal amt. for my age, I was told), but I will be watched on future exams. I was terrified at first; thought the worse and didn't know that there was anything that could be done, if things got worse. My heart just sank because I love to read and work with graphics (very visual person), who could not imagine being without my precious eyesight! I talk to the Lord constanty about them (my eyes) and I thanked Him tearfully for a good report (a few months ago) at my checkup; along with so many other senses and blessings HE has given. Indeed, I understand your thoughts and the other wonderful persons' testimonies concerning their situations and appreciate the helpful tips some offered. No, I'm not a young chicken any more, but there are so many age related incidences that are still NEW to me. Even though I'm fairly healthy, problems I've never experienced seem to creep up on me. I am convinced that I HAVE to trust God who will continue to take care of me as I grow older and wiser, even if I am unsure of what lies ahead. I truly believe HE loves us and cares for our hurts, pains and concerns in the aging process which is only preparing us for the grave and the Resurrection. Leaning and learning to trust HIM more and believe HE will do what is best at all times is difficult, I know, but God will do what no man can do and will fix everything that's broken in due season. Day by day, I'm learning more and more of what the bible means when it states, "There is a time and season for all things," but even in all of those seasons there is still room to rejoice in our later years! My prayer is,"May God allow everyone who has posted on this site to have their last days, be their best days!" Thank you all for your encouraging words. Love, Renee

Hi Jane,

was encouraged by your passage.Indeed God had realli made everything for us to enjoy.Praise God for that!

I am an optometrist,like to reassure you that the floaters you are experiencing is common.If you are able to count the floaters,you dun have to worry.Floaters are opacities behind the eye structure.However if you are experiencing many foaters which you are not able to count.Then you will need to see the opthalmologist.As referred to the flashes of light,u are wise to check with the doc to make sure there is no retinal detachment.

Hope this can be a real help to you.Jesus loves you.

Blessings
Grace

I praise God for the sight to see. There was a rainbow in the sky last week that was so radiant I couldn't believe it. I just recovered from cataract surgery and it is as though the world is new. I can tell the difference between blue and green, thread a needle, see my puppy's lopsided smile, and read the Word! Just like Jesus helped the blind to see He gave sight so that we who were blind in sin could be free. God is good and I am full of thanksgiving.

My Mom is going through the same thing. The doctor told her she has Ischemic Optic Neuropathy and that there is no cure for this. She could lose her eyesight in a year or never. My Mom is scared and frustrated with the doctors. I am going to read her these blogs and hopefully give her some hope. I especially like what you said about His glory wouldn't be-couldn't be-confined to only one sense. I am hoping she will get great comfort from this. Thank you

Jane your floaters story sounds very much like mine even down to the large black floater, which I initially thought was a worm that had fallen on my glasses, to the lightning flashes at the periphery of vision. I was so frightened that my husband rushed me to the ER and the nurses triaged my complaints and considered it serious. I had all the tests and a CT scan to rule out stroke or retinal tears. The next day I visited an ophthalmologist to confirm that all was Ok. Mine is just another adventure into the aging process.

The following week more floaters began to appear in the middle of my vision in both eyes. I’ve had to refrain from getting on the computer very often because it’s so difficult to see and strong light seems to refract off the floaters causing much glare.

I did take some time, however, to research floaters on the computer. I discovered a frightening coincidence. For two weeks prior to my first floater incident I had a severe back spasm and had been taking recommended doses of Ibuprophen regularly during those two weeks. Although rare, apparently some people can develop floaters after taking Ibuprophen or aspirin!

Some floaters will dissolve in time and I pray to God that this is the case for me. I’m not yet to the point of rejoicing that these floaters are God’s blessing, but I have to admit that getting off the computer is forcing me to look at my wonderful life with new, but much weaker, eyes.
.

Your story is a blessing indeed. Blessings to all.

What a comfort to read everyone's blog. I have had the same eye problem described and was told that all is well but am still bothered by a certain blurriness in my vision on that eye. I, too, was extremely worried and called my niece who is an eye doctor and she got me in that evening to reassure me of it's normalcy. Thank you so much for your beautiful writing!