Reading Glasses

Yesterday I sat on my reading glasses. Today we began the search for a place which could somehow repair the stem and attach it to my glasses frame. The large place across from the university said ’no’, they would have to sell me new lenses and a new frame. They could not re-attach the broken stem. A second large specialty store up the street said the same.

Near our place, our arms laden with fresh fruits and veggies for the weekend, we tried one more shop, a small old place but with frames like mine in the window. A tiny woman greeted us, assured us she could repair the break by Tuesday, and let us know that she seldom attracts new customers at all! She just depends on her regular old customers, who had come there when her father or even her grandfather had run the shop.

Of course, she’s been there a long time! She’s particularly grateful to God to have survived both the Wars there, she is thankful that only her ear drums suffered from the bombings of her home, and she’s especially appreciative that she can work well every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. so as not to notice the aches and pains that can come when one turns 60. We agreed that we do the same, and continued listening as we watched her steady hands and sharp eyes assess the repair she would make, - until she shared with us that at age 89 she actually can’t find many doctors willing to see her before or after her work hours anyway!

We’re looking forward to picking up my repaired glasses on Tuesday.

Coralyn T. Medyesy, Missionary in Hungary

Coralyn Medyesy is a missionary with the Reformed Church in Hungary, based in Budapest, Hungary. She serves as a Teacher of Social Work and Diakonia at the Nagy Koros School.