Yikes.

Tonight I called my husband's aunt and the tone of her voice reminded me of what I was feeling when I couldn't stop crying while my Dad was in a coma.

I remember standing over his bed and looking down at him.  "Dad, are you in there?" I asked.  Feeling helpless.  Feeling sad.  Feeling like "I know this will be alright, but when will I look back at this and say  'yeah, it did end up alright.'"

Well.

My husband Matt has a cousin.  His cousin is Chris.  Chris in on an LDS mission right now and has been gone two out of 24 months so far.  Tonight we heard that his mother got a phone call from the president of the mission's wife.  The mission president's wife told Chris's mother (you with me?) that Chris can't read.  He began having trouble focusing his eyes, then he completely lost the ability.  He went to two eye doctors and the general consensus is that Chris has damaged his eyes beyond repair, and they will never be able to focus.

Chris is 19.  NINETEEN!  That's it!

The next step for him is to see a really REALLY special specialist doctor to find out if there is something to be done for him. The doctor told him whatever happened to his eyes was seriously traumatic, that you don't get that kind of scars and damage without major trauma. They are wondering if the irresistibly of looking at the solar eclipse is the culprit. He may be the reason everyone on TV was warning everyone else: DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN WITHOUT MADE-FOR-ECLIPSE-GLASSES!

When everything was so uncertain with my Dad I used to pray "If there is a miracle in this day, please let it be for my Dad!"  The Lord surely did bless our family with many many many miracles!!! I know that the Lord has a plan, just for each one of us.  I pray Chris and all of us will learn what we are supposed to from this experience, and that his life and eyesight will be blessed with many miracles!!!

I just can't help but think what a different life it will be for him if he can't read.  What will he do for work?  Will he ever get married or have a family?  Now that everything for Chris is so uncertain, I am praying as often as I think of it (which so far is about three times per minute) that his eye sight will all be restored and that Chris will be very blessed for all his efforts to serve the Lord in whatever way he is asked to.

I know Heavenly Father is in total control of this and every situation and I pray that the reassurance of His love and his involvement in our lives will cover and comfort us all, no matter what our sorrows and cares may be!