So I am sitting in the silence of the morning hours.  Sun hasn’t come up yet and words haven’t been spoken yet.  I think about this upcoming couple days and what the agenda will be.  Today we have Christmas program practice at church.  That is always a fun time.  Maybe a little chaotic.  Little ones running around trying to round them up like they are the sheep and we are the sheep dogs.  This afternoon I may try to get some of the house decorated for Christmas.  Kids are driving me nuts that we have to get that tree up.  True enough we need to do that.  Tomorrow is Church, Sunday school and then Caroling in the community.  Always a fun event.  Traveling in a group from one place to the next trying to spread some of the Christmas spirit.  We end the night with a soup supper always a highlight for our family.  I sit here this morning by the computer awed by the changes we have had this year.  I have a daughter that is excelling in school and over at the “big” school. She is just growing up out of that little girl.  My son who I didn’t think would be able to handle school LOVES to go to school and Sunday afternoon is just a long waste of time to get to Monday.  I look how our family is changed.  I was in such a fog of disbelief lately with my sudden hearing loss that I failed to notice the good things that are going on with our family.  So I have decided to try and make a list of the positives I have learned with having hearing aids and hearing loss.

1. I savor every I love you I get from my kids.  I was upset I still can’t hear the whispered ones but I know what they are saying it still melts your heart.

2. I enjoy the absolute silence I have in the house before everyone is up and after everyone goes to bed.

3. Watching has become very important to me.  Watching my kids interact.  Sure a kick comes into play but the holding of hands or cuddling together to read a book became even more precious.

4. Empathy- I feel I have more empathy with the kids at school that struggle at the things that seem so simple to other children.

gotta have some funny ones

5. We have a faucet that drips at times.  I can turn the hearing aid to mute and instant drip is gone.

6. Kids fighting in the bedroom. Again mute and fighting is gone for that moment.

I am glad that I took the time to write a list.  It makes you put things in perspective. Sometimes taking part of one sense away does open your eyes to other things around you.