In your eyes

You know how they say the eyes are the windows to the soul? It’s so true. I could tell how Joe was feeling just by looking into his eyes. When he was really tired his eyes were super light with tiny specks of green. When he was very sick, they were almost black and so much smaller than normal. When he was sad, they turned dark brown. And when he was happy his eyes would shimmer that beautiful hazel color I fell in love with. I used to kiss each of his eyelids before I would kiss him goodnight. My Joe had the kindest eyes.

When Joe passed away, one of the immediate decisions that had to be made was about organ donation. He always wanted to donate, but cancer kept him from being able to do that. I was so surprised when the eye bank called letting me know his corneas could be donated and might possibly give someone else the gift of sight. What a wonderful surprise that was at the moment of my deepest sorrow. I consented of course. He was a giver in every sense of the word and paying it forward would have made him so happy.

I’ll never forgot the sparkle in his eyes the first time he told me he loved me so long ago. Or how bright they were as we recited our wedding vows to each other. I could see the mischief in his eyes when he had too much to drink, the determination as he fought so hard to beat cancer, and the pure happiness when he was just enjoying life.

I’ll never forget how clear his beautiful eyes were the first time he opened them again in ICU. And I’ll never forget kissing both of his eyelids for the last time.

While Joe’s corneas didn’t qualify to be used for transplant, they will be used for medical research. And hopefully his gift will one day help others see life in the same way he did, as one big, beautiful adventure.