Soon, soon you will see

This was a line from a play I was in in 1962, my freshman year in high school, called "The Summons of Sariel". I played a young blind child, maybe about 10 years old. My first line was, "How much longer? How much longer before we get there?", to which my guardian angel responded, "Soon, soon you will see." I should probably go into some detail about the play, since it played a significant part in my high-school experience. It was a one-act play for competition. We competed at both the regional and state levels, and received solid superior ratings at the regional level. (We didn't do as hot at state, probably because the cast was pretty upset at the gym class, who had been sitting on our set and had dented our wonderful columns.)

Because I was a pretty good-sized freshman (5'6" or 5'7"), the main consideration for my angel was that she should be taller than me. Fortunately, she was also a good actress. Sariel, the title character, was God's angel of death. He sat on a throne with those fore-mentioned columns on either side of him. Almost off stage on either side were a good angel, one of my best friends, and an evil angel. There was a lot of banter between them concerning the fate of the other characters: me, the child; a young mother who had attempted suicide, an old woman, and a woman who had been in an accident.

And here follows a bit of the plot: each of the characters had been summoned by Sariel because of a close brush with death. Some of us (me for instance) would go on to afterlife (we assume Heaven), while others would be returned to life on Earth. Sariel was the only male in the play. He was also my best friend's brother, a fantastic actor who later went to try his fortune in Hollywood. His costume was splendid, made of the finest velvet casket lining! (One of the girls on the backstage crew was the daughter of the local funeral-home owner.) Lots and lots of the best times I had in high school involved drama, and Sariel was the start of it all.

Anyway, back to my line--I hope it is going to come true! I went to the ophthalmologist about two weeks ago and learned I needed cataract surgery. I knew my vision was getting worse, but didn't really know the cause. Today, I went to see him again as a preparatory visit for the surgery. I was in the office two hours--that's an hour and a half longer than I think I needed to be there, but at least everything is done now, including some laser surgery that he felt needed to be done as a prophylactic measure. I have the actual cataract surgery on June 9, very early in the morning, and then a follow-up the next day. This will be for my left eye. I asked the doctor today when was the soonest he could do the right eye, which also needs to be done, and he said two weeks after that. So it looks like the month of June I'll spend getting these cataracts fixed, and then I'll be able to see again! Which will mean, I hope, that I will be able to drive at night and in the rain, neither of which I want to attempt now. Hallelujah!

Well, folks, take care--I hope your vision is at least 20/20, and the prospect of cataract surgery isn't looming in YOUR futures! Good night, and God bless.