Without Darkness, There Cannot Be Light!

On January 2012, I was closing in on the ripe old age of 75 years! My transition into the new year was very challenging to say the least. You might even say a dark period of my existence!

Here we were, Carol Ann and I, sitting in the conference room at the Founders Park Stake Center, a little nervous because we were unsure of why we had been called into visit with the Stake First Counselor, President Lopez. We were there under a lot of stress as I had recently lost much of my eyesight, making it a frantic and difficult time for both of us. The next order of business in this Stake interview would turn my world upside down. Coming were the feelings of shock and the overwhelming thought of, “How can this be?”

I looked back at the events of the prior year’s events that led me to this place in my life. This meeting would mean a monumental change would shortly occur! In the years leading up to 2011-2012, Carol Ann and I had seen our share of medical challenges. We both had had close encounters with death in hospitals in prior years. In 2011, I was going through the rigors of diminishing eye sight which became extremely frustrating leading to this meeting that morning.

For years I’d been working with my doctors to preserve my sight. The problem was Macular Edema, the swelling of the retinas in both eyes. I was having shots in my eyes at Rocky Mountain Retina Clinic under the direction of Dr. David Faber to reduce that retina swelling. Dr. Faber said I also needed cataract surgery because of cloudy blurred vision I began experiencing. The problem was the retina swelling needed to go down to even consider having the cataracts removed and the lens replaced. In the latter part of 2011, when I drove my little red pickup, it seemed as if I had a thin sheet of opaque plastic was over my windshield. Needless to say, it made my driving just a little spooky. Of course, for me, I was becoming a little terrified where this whole vision thing was taking me. This provided a lot of concern and turmoil in my life! Dr. Faber again said my cataracts in both eyes needed to be removed. Then came a short window of time when the retina swelling receded, and I was told that I could proceed with the cataract surgery.

Dr. Alan Jackson, my Optometrist, performed the first cataract surgery on the right eye (one with the poorest vision) January 2012. Jordan drove me there and was there for me through the whole operation. The surgery was weird in that I was semi-conscious, and remember they put a cover over my face with a hole over my right eye. All through the surgery, I could hear the doctors’ conversation as they removed the lens, and then everything went black. Soon they replaced it with a new lens, and I could see light! They sent me home with a perforated eye-covering that I kept on my right eye for a few days. I was told I might have some floaters, dark spots, that would soon disappear in a couple of weeks. I could then have the operation on my left eye. I was very much looking forward to having this whole thing behind me.

On January 25^th, I went in for cataract surgery on the left eye (the one with the best vision). I wasn’t that worried having gone through surgery successfully two weeks before. After surgery, Dr. Jackson told me that a piece of the cataract had broken off and was lodged in the eye somewhere. He tried to reassure me that it would dissolve. It did not! I couldn’t see. It was as if I had a grainy grayish sheet over my eye. Because the other right eye wasn’t totally cleared up, I was pretty much blind! We alerted our kids, and mighty prayers were offered to Heavenly Father. Our whole family was in tremendous shock!

Now back to the Stake President’s office where my world would be turned upside down with a single question. On January 28^th, a Saturday morning, we sat there as President Lopez in broken English announced to us that Founders Park 8^th Ward was going to be divided with David Weiss called as the Bishop of the new 7th Ward. “The Lord would like to call you to be Bishop Weiss’ First Counselor in the new Bishopric!” Carol Ann and I just sat there stunned, almost mortified! Finally, when we caught ourselves from falling off our chairs, Carol Ann recited what we had experienced three days previously with the cataract surgery and my complete loss of vision. Without missing a beat, President Lopez queried, “Would you like a Priesthood blessing?” I said, “Well, ya!” Two young men were summoned from the hallway, and the blessing was given with President Lopez being mouth: “Brother James Shepherd, in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood that we hold, we bless you that your eyesight be healed! We bless you that your vision will be restored as you accept this important calling from the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.” The two men were dismissed. President Lopez turned to me and simply asked, “Brother Shepherd, will you accept this call from the Lord?” End of discussion, I replied, “Yes,” and the major life-altering landslide of events was triggered!

As we went home and called our kids to come to our Sacrament Meeting the next morning and the reason why they should come, then they were then the ones that nearly fell apart! But come, they did, with their full support. On January 29, 2012, a new ward, Founders Park 7^th Ward was organized. President Michael Cottle called David Weiss to be the new Bishop and asked that I, Jim Shepherd, the old blind man to be the First Counselor and Dustin Tibbetts to be Second Counselor. Wow, how did this happen? Me in the Bishopric again? I did not see this coming? (pun) Then, Tuesday, it all began, and the new Bishopric met every night. We had to get to know all the members in the old 2^nd ward added to the new ward before making any callings. We went out every single night for 2 weeks and met with one family after another. My vision was so bad that I could barely see people’s faces clearly even when they sat just across the room. The Bishop wanted us to take notes on our impressions of the people we met so we could make ward callings. I had to listen very intently because I couldn’t see all that well. I was trying to do my part and keep up with a young, 35-year-old fired up new Bishop! Our challenge as a new Bishopric was to fill every single position in a newly created ward in as short a time as possible! I actually could have used a white cane with a red tip!

Finally, the third surgery was scheduled (second time on the left eye) February 10^th. We all prayed mightily that it would be successful, and it was! Dr. Jackson cleaned up the fragments and then removed a film covering the front of my eye. I could see the light. As President Lopez might have said, “Jose, can you see?”

I had acted on simple faith to accept that calling in the Bishopric. After the second successful cataract operation (left eye) by Dr. Jackson and additional steroid shots by Dr. Faber (both eyes), my overall eyesight started improving. It was a confirmation of the fulfillment of that blessing I had been given that the Lord would heal me, and I could see again. Life is filled with tests and trials. Through our FAITH and Priesthood Blessings, the Lord gives us strength to find joy in the midst of our greatest challenges! We can be lifted when times are easy and then lean on the Lord and have faith, when times are tough!

                                    Memories of James D. Shepherd, Dad & Grandpa 10-18