Do you remember that childhood song: "Let's take a ride in an automobile, let's take a ride in a car, listen to the......... go ......... as we travel a long" ? Well this seems fitting for me lately! There are a lot of sounds to be heard while going in a car! So take a ride with me!
1. I pulled the car up to the stoplight and the windows were down on a beautiful fall day when I heard this noise! I asked my kids what I could possibly be hearing, so my poor kids, went through every sound they could hear and I would try to match the sound I was searching for. (I am blessed with adorable and patient kids!) And it turns out, I could hear the leaves blowing across the street!!!!!!!!!!! That just BLEW me away! Really, leaves across the street?!!!! I have heard of leaves as you crunch upon them while walking, but to hear they rustle across the street! That just made my whole week!
2. Rain sounds different for me right now. I don't know how to describe it. But when in a car, rain used to be kind of muffled and all together static like. Now for the first time, on a rainy day, I can clearly hear the pitt-patter of the raindrops on the roof of the car. Pretty cool!
3. I can hear the keys in the ignition when turning off the car, nothing new there, but I didn't realize that I would still be able to hear it as I got out of the car going to the other side to retrieve the baby. I was able to hear it loudly to the other side. You can be sure I will never do that again, the keys go with me!
4. As we were driving home I noticed I could hear a motorcycle which is nothing new but I couldn't see it anywhere! I asked the kids if I was imagining that sound, they said no, so we started looking for the motorcycle. It wasn't until we were going uphill, that we saw the motorcycle that was 12 cars away from us!!!!!!!!!! Ok, that may not seem like a big deal to you, but I could only hear motorcycles that were close or at least in sight and around me, but for it to be so far away and I could still hear it almost faintly but clearly-THAT'S A BIG DEAL!!!!!
While I am extremely grateful for these news sounds, my frustrating and hardest thing I am dealing with right now is being able to communicate. Whether it is too much noise around me or the person is not loud enough, or I am having trouble decipher what a speaker is saying whether from pulpit or in a room, I am still struggling with communication-the very thing that I must deal with daily and the very thing that I had mastered with my old hearing aids. Now I have to start over again and I am now struggling!! I am reminded over and over to be patient, but it is so hard to be patient when dealing this daily! My audiologist said I can later switch frequencies or change my setting so background noises are not bothersome and such, but right now I have to get used to all these sounds so my brain can process them.
So right now, I am trying to enjoy the ride and pray for patience: I can't do this on my own, thank goodness I got someone who can carry me through this!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Ugly Sweaters....
Not much has changed since I last posted as for encountering new sounds. But I ran into two friends of mine and like what they had to say and my hubby had something to tell me as well (and this is the only time I will ever admit this-He is right! There I said it, he better read this before I delete it! (smile) What all three had to say were God's friendly reminders that I needed that day!
The first one, was from my dear friend Ken: when it comes to the sounds I don't like: "Every day must be like opening Christmas gifts for you right now. Even the ugly sweaters will eventually turn into beautiful evening gowns." WOW! At the time, those "ugly sweaters" or "awful sounds" that I don't hear really bother me! So if I focus on those awful sounds, then I might miss out on the beautiful sounds around me! So the worst sound for me is hearing the water run, it makes my skin crawl!! But looking at those "ugly sweaters/awful sounds" in a different light happened this past week. I was sitting in my living room with the baby wondering if my kids are obeying me when I told them to get in the bath tub. I was just about to get up to check on them and then I heard the "ugly sweater/awful sound". And then for the first time, I was able to just sit right where I was like a normal hearing person and think, yep they started the bath and yes they are obeying me! ha! And you know what, that feeling was exhilarating!! To be able to just sit there and actually KNOW what's going on! Yes Ken, those ugly sweaters are turning into the most beautiful evening gown I could never imagine!
The second reminder comes from my friend Kae: when it comes to my struggles in my therapy trying to retrain my brain and struggles to listen the new sounds: "It is good for your kids to see you struggle, it helps them learn that struggles are normal part of life, even our adult life!" It just dawn on me after talking with her, since I homeschool, I am with my kids 24/7 (I love it!), how many times have I tried to put up the "everything is perfect" face with them? How many times have I "protected" them from my struggles or the struggles around us? I am reminded of John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” I NEED to share my struggles with my children! I need to whine to them about how I do NOT like therapy but make sure I end my whining and share with them John 16:33 and say God is FAITHFUL! He will help me get through this, just like the song I heard from Steve Green in concert at my church (my first time hearing a concert-it was overwhelming at first with the music, but I now know I LOVE the sound of a guitar!), "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it" I cried when hearing that song, what a great reminder!! Thank you God that you are there! And so now, sharing my struggles with my kids, they in turn share with me their struggles and now we are learning how to specifically pray for each other and turn our struggles over to Him! Praise God!
Thirdly, my dear husband who has taken me ALL the way to Kentucky for the doctor visits and surgery, who has been by my side when I got the news I could never hear again, that I have infection behind my eye and now need additional surgery, and who was there when I heard my first BEEP and knew how disappointed I was to not hear my kids first, and then was there at dinner with me to hear the birds chirp for the first time and was able to celebrate with me reminds me to be PATIENT! Whew....patience?!!! I exercise patience with my kids, with my dog, with everyone but myself! I have been waiting a year to hear again and I want to hear normally and be done with therapy and the trips to Columbus! But alas, I must be patient, I will get there just like hubby says.
So bottom line: I need to be P.A.T.I.E.N.T, share the struggles with others, and enjoy those ugly sweaters! I started this blog saying not much has changed, but maybe not in sounds, but changes are taking place in this heart of mine!
The first one, was from my dear friend Ken: when it comes to the sounds I don't like: "Every day must be like opening Christmas gifts for you right now. Even the ugly sweaters will eventually turn into beautiful evening gowns." WOW! At the time, those "ugly sweaters" or "awful sounds" that I don't hear really bother me! So if I focus on those awful sounds, then I might miss out on the beautiful sounds around me! So the worst sound for me is hearing the water run, it makes my skin crawl!! But looking at those "ugly sweaters/awful sounds" in a different light happened this past week. I was sitting in my living room with the baby wondering if my kids are obeying me when I told them to get in the bath tub. I was just about to get up to check on them and then I heard the "ugly sweater/awful sound". And then for the first time, I was able to just sit right where I was like a normal hearing person and think, yep they started the bath and yes they are obeying me! ha! And you know what, that feeling was exhilarating!! To be able to just sit there and actually KNOW what's going on! Yes Ken, those ugly sweaters are turning into the most beautiful evening gown I could never imagine!
The second reminder comes from my friend Kae: when it comes to my struggles in my therapy trying to retrain my brain and struggles to listen the new sounds: "It is good for your kids to see you struggle, it helps them learn that struggles are normal part of life, even our adult life!" It just dawn on me after talking with her, since I homeschool, I am with my kids 24/7 (I love it!), how many times have I tried to put up the "everything is perfect" face with them? How many times have I "protected" them from my struggles or the struggles around us? I am reminded of John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” I NEED to share my struggles with my children! I need to whine to them about how I do NOT like therapy but make sure I end my whining and share with them John 16:33 and say God is FAITHFUL! He will help me get through this, just like the song I heard from Steve Green in concert at my church (my first time hearing a concert-it was overwhelming at first with the music, but I now know I LOVE the sound of a guitar!), "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it" I cried when hearing that song, what a great reminder!! Thank you God that you are there! And so now, sharing my struggles with my kids, they in turn share with me their struggles and now we are learning how to specifically pray for each other and turn our struggles over to Him! Praise God!
Thirdly, my dear husband who has taken me ALL the way to Kentucky for the doctor visits and surgery, who has been by my side when I got the news I could never hear again, that I have infection behind my eye and now need additional surgery, and who was there when I heard my first BEEP and knew how disappointed I was to not hear my kids first, and then was there at dinner with me to hear the birds chirp for the first time and was able to celebrate with me reminds me to be PATIENT! Whew....patience?!!! I exercise patience with my kids, with my dog, with everyone but myself! I have been waiting a year to hear again and I want to hear normally and be done with therapy and the trips to Columbus! But alas, I must be patient, I will get there just like hubby says.
So bottom line: I need to be P.A.T.I.E.N.T, share the struggles with others, and enjoy those ugly sweaters! I started this blog saying not much has changed, but maybe not in sounds, but changes are taking place in this heart of mine!
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