Blind But Now I See

Greetings,

So my birthday was the other day. It started the day before with a Dutch birthday party that me and another girl threw together. Dutch birthday parties are quite different that American ones. Here, the one having the birthday slaves away all day, buying everything, and spending the day serving everyone he invites. Usually he leaves the party exhausted and irritable...

Then the fire happened. Somehow a garbage dumpster burst into flames, and things inside began exploding violently. I happened to be the one who found it. Nobody else was around, and it was about to catch a huge pine tree on fire. Finally I burst into somebody's house while they were having coffee, and scared them to death by yelling at them that there was a fire. It's was a quite entertaining scene now that I look back. We managed to save the day.

The next morning, on my actual birthday, the fire alarm went off at 6am. My first thought was that the arsons who set the dumpster on fire came back to finish us off. But it turned out to be a drill, and I had my first birthday congratulations while standing in the cold dark, half awake, surrounded by shivering people in their Pj's.

After the early morning antics, I came to class and had to take an hour-and-a-half test on what I'd learned so far in the course. I finished much earlier than everyone else, and left to take a break. After about 20 minutes when no one else came out, I realized I forgot to look at the back side of the paper!

What a birthday. I've been so busy, I only just realized last night that I'm now actually 25 years old. Somehow the birthday party pushed the actual meaning of the event out of my mind.

I got eye glasses. I've been realizing over the last couple years that it's becoming harder to see things far away. And what's far away seems to be getting closer and closer, if you know what I mean. So I just got my eyes tested, and bought glasses. I don't need them all the time, but they really help to read the board in class!

That day I was praying that God would show me what it means that he's the light of the world. I read in John that right after Jesus said this, he healed a blind man. An hour after this prayer, I received a call from the eye specialists telling me that my glasses were ready a whole week early, and that I could come pick them up.

When I walked out of the store I was astounded at how much detail there is in the world!! I had been missing so much! Each leaf! Each blade of grass! I could see facial expressions from afar away, and read street signs before it was too late to turn! A whole new dimention of hidden beauty was revealed to me.

I was blind but now I could see.

Pretty great birthday present, eh?

SPF