The World Went Quiet

In 1980, I was 5 years old. I was attending kindergarten at the local elementary school. It was the first time I had ever been away from my mom. It came as a surprise to my parents when the teacher pulled them aside and said “I think your daughter has a hearing problem”.

They never knew.

I don’t recall much from that time, but the one thing I CLEARLY remember is sitting in the audiologist’s office and my mom saying “If your hearing is fine, you are in big trouble”.

Well, I showed her! The tests came back and I was “hard of hearing”. I was fitted with hearing aids soon after. It opened up a whole new world for me. My mom tells me that I would come in the kitchen and say “mommy, I hear someone talking in the living room, but it’s not daddy or Willie”. It was only the TV. I had never heard it from another room before. Or when I walked my corduroys (it was the early 80’s remember!) would rub together. I had never known that it made a sound.

I stopped wearing hearing aids around the 5th grade, because they weren’t cool. My concerned parents contacted a doctor who wisely told them that around the age of 21, I would be begging for them. He was right. For a solid 16 years, I have worn my hearing aids. Since then, I have had 3 pairs. Since they are not cheap by any means, I have had to go without for months when a pair would finally give up working and were beyond repair.

After the last purchase of hearing aids, I have been a poster hearing aid owner. I clean them, I dry them, I put them in their case every night. (Hmmm mmmm, learned that the hard way. One time my baby (yes, Piper) destroyed one and another time the dog ate it. Okay, they’ve been eaten by a dog 2 separate times)

This past Saturday, I cleaned them, and put them in their audio dryer for the night. The next morning, I showered, did my hair, put my contacts in, put fresh batteries in my hearing aids, put one in the left ear and the world was still quiet. It didn’t sound louder.

What?

I repeated the process with my right ear.

NOTHING.

Just so you know, I am a little… sensitive about these things. They are the link between me and HEARING the world! I have had one aid go out or the other, but NEVER both at one time.

I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. I put on my sunglasses, just in case, went outside and told my husband “they don’t work. My hearing aids. Neither one works”. I didn’t cry. He said “they are still under warranty, right?” (yes) “but”, he continued “it’s Sunday, they are not open”.

BINGO.

I would have to go a minimum of 24 hours without my precious hearing devices.

I thought I could at least get a jump on it though. I would call the audiologist and leave a message. She would get it first thing Monday morning and she would call me back. She always called back.

So I called. One, two, three, four, five rings.

“__________ hearing center, this is Shelley”.

Then I might have cried a little. I told her I didn’t think she would be there. I explained the problem. She said if I got there in the next 15 minutes she would take a look at them.

I got there in 10.

I took them out of their box and handed them to her. She went right to work.

I looked at the hours posted on her door. There were hours for Monday through Saturday, but Sunday clearly said CLOSED. I said “Shelley, you’re not supposed to be here.”

She said “I know. ____________ wants to try to have us open 7 days a week. Today is the first time that I have worked a Sunday”.

What? They just happened to be open on the one and only day when I felt like I couldn’t deal with something else breaking? I just happened to call, knowing they had never been open on a Sunday in the 16 years I have gone there? They just happened to be there?

Coincidence?

I think not.

I prefer to think it came from a God who loves me. I went out to my car and literally said “God loves me the best today. Thank you, God”.

This was a God-incidence….

all

the

way.

And the hearing aids? They were fine. She cleaned them up with her super duper electronic hearing aid cleaner and they were as good as new. 🙂 I’m just thankful they both went out at one time, no sense making 2 trips for the same issue. 😉

To read more God-incidences, visit Jennifer at Getting Down with Jesus.  You should also “like” her page on FB. You will not just like her. You will LOVE her. Promise.

And for those of you who have been following along… my husband got a job! More on that later. 😉