Glasses, Babies and Rain

I am thankful for glasses. I'm even more thankful for contacts.
However, last week I was hoping I could rid myself of them for good.

When I was in 8th grade I had Mrs. Southwick for Health class. I only remember a few things from her class. One, she taught us the names of all the bones in the body using little memory tricks. Because of those tricks I still remember them today and use them in my class to get attention. (Nothing quiets a class faster than "If you can hear me, touch your patella.")
The other thing I remember was the day she told us that her son had gotten his near-sightedness fixed. He didn't need glasses or contacts anymore. I was stunned. You can FIX that?

Ever since then I've waited for the day I could get my eyes fixed. This year Zack and I decided that the time had come.
So, last week Zack and I went to Hoopes Vision and the Moran Eye Center for free consultations for LASIK. I was a little shocked when the doctor at Hoopes Vision told me that I didn't qualify for LASIK or PRK.
The Moran Eye Center told me the same thing. Apparently I have two things going against me and the combination of both makes LASIK out of my reach. My prescription is high and my corneas are unnaturally thin. I don't have enough cornea to shave off to fix my vision.
I was disappointed. I almost cried. I had wanted this for a long time.

Before I could let myself get too depressed or upset I reminded myself that I can still see. I may have terrible vision but because of contacts and glasses I can see. Having to wear glasses for a week before my eye exams made me acutely aware of how much I needed them to function. I tend to forget about that when my contacts are in. But glasses brought it all back. If I took them off I was blind. If they bugged me and I took them off I was reminded that taking them off wasn't an option. I HAD to wear them. It was a little unnerving to realize how dependent I was on them. If I didn't have glasses or contacts I couldn't work, drive, read, or anything really. (I could probably walk around...as long as it wasn't dark.)
So when I took that into perspective I decided it wasn't too bad that I couldn't have LASIK. At least I live in a time where there are glasses or contacts that help me see.

My brain likes to take what I learn in one area and try to see how many other areas I can apply that same information. The lesson of "being grateful for what I have and not being upset because I don't have more" suddenly applied everywhere. I know I've been taught that my whole life from my parents and Sunday school teachers, but it's always good to have a real-life reminder.

The application immediately when to Zack and my struggle to start our family. It's easy for me to be upset that I have to wait so long for something I want so badly. Why don't we have kids? Why was Joshua taken from us? What else are we supposed to be doing with our lives?
But instead of being upset I'm trying to look at it from a better perspective. We've had 7 years just to ourselves. We have a child that, because of the sealing power of the priesthood, will be ours forever. I've had the privilege to teach first graders for going on 9 years now. I have learned things during that time that I would not have learned anywhere else. The experiences I've had are invaluable to me. And now we have the privilege of being part of the adoption world, a world where the more I learn about it the more I recognize Heavenly Father's hand in the lives of all his children. It is truly a divine plan. I have learned so much. All because of the trial of not having kids. (Side note to anyone willing to listen: It's okay for me to say that I should be glad I don't have kids, but it's NOT okay for other people to tell me to be happy I don't have kids. Okay, I'm done.)

I heard a quote yesterday and I like the way it puts into words what I'm trying to do with my life. I don't know who said it, but I like it.
"Life is not about trying to endure the storms that come your way. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
If we never learn to dance in the rain, we might never be happy. When you think about it, isn't dancing in the rain one of the best kind of dancing there is?

Without rain, things couldn't grow. Without my trials, I wouldn't grow either.