Ever since the first day I met myDarlin’ and long before
that, he had a cataract on his eye. He said that it stemmed from his days as a
swimmer/surfer back in Hawaii and was convinced that it would just come back if
removed. It never seemed to alter his outlook on life. myDarlin’ could look at
a photograph of a beach or a wave and then tell you what island and beach it
was taken at, accompanied by a personal story about that specific beach.
I was mesmerized by stories of his adventures growing up in
Hawaii, and the lyrical rhythm of the Hawaiian language. When I asked him what
the Hawaiian translation of my name would be, he said that he would rather give
me a name that described me and how he felt about me. “As seen through
beautiful eyes, Makalani, is your name” myDarlin’ said as he gave me a kiss.
Years passed, and myDarlin’ continued to notice the small
details, as I also did photographing my interpretation of the world as we know
it. Eventually both of our eyes (or should I say all four of our eyes?...) grew
a little weaker, so we stocked up on Dollar Store reading glasses. Black,
purple, white, red – it didn’t matter just as long as there was a pair nearby.
A clear acrylic box of ‘Table Topics’ sits on the buffet in
our ‘Elvis Den’ (that’s a story for another day) filled with questions that
really make you ponder decisions and your personal beliefs. I reached in and
blindly chose a card, then read it to myDarlin’. If you had to choose one, would you rather
lose your sight or your hearing? As I thought about the question, Robert
immediately answered hearing. He said that he would always be able to remember
sounds and could still feel vibrations, but didn’t want to live in a world of
darkness.
Last year myDarlin’ suffered a stroke which left him
irreversibly blind in his left eye, but he was ecstatic to still be able to see
his family, friends and the sunrise from the hospital window. Since he only had
one good eye, it was time to get a real pair of glasses which became part of
his signature look. Robert never
complained about not being able to see out of his left eye, and if it weren’t
for one lens of his glasses often being smudged, I probably would have
forgotten it too. In fact, one day as he was driving on one of our impromptu
trips, I was really having trouble remembering which eye it was so began to
move my hand wildly to the side and front of his right eye. I can still hear
him saying,
“What in the world are you doing? I can see you!” LOL!
As I am going through my old texts, I found this one (in the
photo below) and had to share his fun sense of humor with you dear Ohana. “Josh
was reading something small and wanted to borrow my glasses. I gave them to him
and told him that he could keep them. ‘They are almost like new, I only use one
side.’” Always such a jokester.
After myDarlin’ had passed, I sat numb in a room waiting for
the next hospital representative to come to me asking me to make many
decisions. Even though everyone was very kind and compassionate, it was a
surreal experience for all of us there. A gentleman, I think his name was Tim,
came to me with his flip phone saying that Linda from Life Link was on the line
and wanted to talk to me about donating myDarlin’s eyes. Before I could even
engage my brain, my mouth opened and said, ‘He’s only got one, but I’m sure he
would want you to have it.’ Even in a
time of despair, his sense of humor and positive outlook was channeled through
me. I love you myDarlin’!
I know that myDarlin’ was called home, that he saw glorious
heavens and the welcoming arms of our Savior.
I am filled with gratitude as I know that his eyes will help another
person to physically ‘see’ and all of us to truly see the beauty in life.
What do you see?
#KeepLookingUp
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