Monday, November 22, 2010

October and November '10

I should be going to bed, but I've decided to post an update about the last couple of months.

October was extremely busy.  It included a one day trip to Pittsburgh, a camp-out with Girl Scouts, lots of soccer, report cards, parent teacher conferences, and a weekend women's retreat.  The retreat was wonderful, but the busyness of life hit me square in the face as soon as I got home.  By the end of the month, I desperately needed a weekend at home.



November has been slower and easier to deal with.  That even includes our weekend away in New York City.  What an adventure that was!  We got on a bus at 9:00 on a Friday night and were driven to NYC.  By 8:30 in the morning we were looking at the Statue of Liberty and had a full day of experiences very unlike those we have at home.  We got back on the bus at 9:00 pm and were driven back to Ohio.  We were home by 6:00 Sunday morning.



So, how am I dealing with my hearing loss?  Well, basically I'm so busy I don't think about it much.  I adapt when I need to adapt.  I get frustrated once in a while, but not a lot.  I see that I am capable of just about anything still.  I know that I do miss my hearing and wish that it was easier.  One of my most difficult days was at my last ENT appointment.  Because of a scheduling mix up, I did not have a hearing test.  The doctor asked how I was doing and if I thought that I would want something to help me with my hearing loss.  I feel like I'm adapting well, but really think life would be easier, especially in the classroom with some hearing help.  Being the pleaser that I am, I wanted to do what the doctor thinks I should do.  If he thinks I can live without hearing aids or surgery, then I wanted to live without those things.  But here's the thing... the doctor is not hard of hearing and I am an... adult.  This is MY decision to make.  He can't know how easy or difficult things are for me.  He can't make this decision for me.  I was quite anxious for a day or so, while I worked through these issues.

Well, that sums up the last couple of months.  On to the last month and a half of 2010!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Vintage Post #7 - Don't Underestimate...

Dec 18, 2008


Current mood:good

Don't underestimate...

I have some sermon notes from the most current series of sermons - Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader. I thought I would write a couple of blogs with the material that popped out at me.

November 16th, the sermon was on Elijah - 1 Kings 18. The class lessons included...

1. Don't be afraid. Sometimes you will need to stand alone.

2. Don't be divided.

3. Don't underestimate the power of one totally dedicated life.

Number 3 really popped out at me. I try to be dedicated, but sometimes I just really mess up. I pray that my life will still have a positive effect on others. During this sermon, the preacher also talked about blame displacement and how we should take responsibility for our actions. Its not always easy to do that, but I do believe it is important.