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November 27th, 2014
Psalm 136 is read every year at Passover. It begins with a simple command: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good." The Psalmist then walks through Israeli's history, providing the people with a laundry list of God's mighty deeds. It's a reminder that Thanksgiving isn't theoretical or abstract. We're thankful because we remember and celebrate the good things God has done in our lives.
With that in mind, I began reviewing my year and one thing stuck out--the arrival of my granddaughter, Madelyn.
On Tuesday, July 15th, Madelyn Jo Garrison entered the world with the usual flurry of pictures, videos, and Facebook posts. It was an exciting, exhausting day. We laughed, reminisced, and passed around our newest bundle of joy for most of the day. We were truly blessed!
But later in the day we received some disturbing news. When Madelyn was given the standard newborn screening by the hospital staff, a problem was detected. It appeared that there were large, dense cataracts on both eyes. Because of how thick the cataracts were and where they were located, Madelyn could see very little--perhaps nothing at all.
We were devastated. We had no idea what this might mean for Madelyn or what to expect in the days and weeks to come. But God began showing his kindness in both large and small ways.
To begin with, God chose the specialist we would be consulting with. There is only pediatric opthamologist in the entire area, Dr. Kenny Gainer. It just so happens that Dr. Gainer is a good friend of ours and an elder at our church. What a Godsend! Not surprisingly, Dr. Gainer was able to ease our worries by taking his time, answering our many questions, and praying with us.
Dr. Gainer explained that Madelyn's cataracts were treatable, but she would require surgery. Even though he couldn't do the surgery himself, he made arrangements for us to see Dr. Geoffrey Bradford, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Ruby Memorial Hospital. Dr. Bradford was kind and soft spoken with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He scheduled Madelyn for two surgeries. In the first, he would be removing the lens from Madelyn's right eye. In a follow up surgery one week later, he would be doing the same thing in the left eye. When both eyes had healed, Madelyn would return to Dr. Gainer for contact lenses. With these lenses, we were told that she would have almost normal vision.
The surgeries were hard, of course. The hardest part of all was the waiting. We're grateful for friends and family who made the trip to Morgantown to sit with us through this difficult time. But, praise God, Madelyn came through both surgeries with flying colors!
The next step was a return visit to Dr. Gainer. We were full of doubts and questions. "Contacts?" "For a baby?" "Are you sure?" But Dr. Gainer walked us through step by step, and soon Madelyn was sporting her first pair of contact lenses. That's when we began noticing a huge difference in Madelyn's behavior. It soon became obvious to us that Madelyn was seeing faces. In fact, when she would see somebody's face she would break out into a big, wide, infectious smile. We were so relieved!
When we gather around the table for Thanksgiving at our house each year, we take Psalm 136 to heart. We each share something specific that we're thankful for. This year I think Madelyn will be at the top of everyone's list--not just because God brought her into our lives but, more than that, because He has journeyed with us through this time of hardship and uncertainty.
I encourage you to take Psalm 136 to heart yourself. When you gather around your own Thanksgiving table, remember and celebrate the good things God has done for you this year. You'll be amazed what a difference it makes.
From all of us at Bordas & Bordas, have a safe and joyous Thanksgiving!
