I’m back!  It’s been a while since my last post.  Much has happened since then.  My daughter was planning to be married this month.  The wedding has been cancelled and she and her fiance broke up.  She was not responsible in any way for what happened, but they made the decision to do what was best for both of them spiritually, and I’m proud of them for that.  I’m thankful for God’s wisdom, His faithfulness and His comfort when we, and the people we love, are hurting.  I’m thankful that in spite of our sinful nature, we can escape from any snare that we become entangled in, and that God gives us the opportunity for salvation and the support and guidance that we need to attain it.

I’ve also been to 3 funerals in the last couple of weeks.  I rejoice with those whose loved ones have finished the race as faithful christians and have gained a victory!  I also grieve along with them as they mourn the loss of those whom they love so much.

I had a follow-up with my hearing specialist in the middle of all of this, and the news there was wonderful!  The doctor took a look at the results of my hearing test and said “Your hearing is stable.  The steroids have done their job.  It’s time to start tapering you off of them.”  I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to hear that bit of news!!!  It will take 3 months to completely taper off (I’ve heard that sometimes it can stay in your system for a time after you stop taking it) but I’m taking half the dose I was taking, and am thrilled to be heading toward no more steroids!  So far I have not seen any change in the side effects.  They were already fairly minimal during the last month.  I am still retaining fluids and have the “moon face”  the “buffalo hump”  a very firm and filled out mid-section (not normal for me – I generally carry most of my excess weight in my hips and thighs!) and am still more out of breath and needing to rest when trying to accomplish tasks much more frequently than normal.  Also am experiencing forgetfulness and more sweating than usual.  I’m not complaining – the hardest was dealing with the emotional extremes and I’m very thankful that particular side effect settled down before all of the latest things happened, and so far seems to be stable.

I’m very excited that much of our family will be here shortly for a visit.  Some have changed their travel plans since the wedding was cancelled, but some will still be coming for a visit and we’re really looking forward to some family time over this holiday period.

I was thinking about the end of this year and all that has taken place, and I realized that I have so much to be thankful for.  I can honestly say that I am thankful for the hearing loss episode.  I can see so much good that has come from it.  I really can.  I’m thankful that God has allowed me to regain some of the hearing that was lost. So much has changed in my life because of the situation and the way that it happened.  I feel more prepared now for when/if the day comes that I am profoundly deaf.  I’ve discovered there’s so much out there technology-wise!  Accessibility has a whole new meaning for me now!  Most importantly – I’ve seen so much from a new and more godly perspective and I’ve had the opportunity to be encouraged as well as watch other people be encouraged and strengthened by the events that took place. I’ve learned a new skill – American Sign Language – and am enjoying that tremendously.  I’ve found so many small ways that it has been helpful in my every day life, even at this stage of hearing loss.  I absolutely love hearing stories of others I know who are learning along with me and experiences they have had in their every day lives interacting with deaf people they could not communicate with before.  I’ve become aware of a large segment of our community that I really never noticed before.  I understand so much more about communication and about what a person who is hard of hearing deals with on a regular basis.  I hope others have learned along with me and have become aware of these things as well.  I’ve grown to love and appreciate the people I spend the most time with all the more as I see the patience they show when trying to communicate with me and making sure that I am included in as much as possible and I know the love and consideration that is behind it.  I am a blessed woman.

Thank you for checking in with me here, even though I haven’t been writing as much lately.  I expect to be writing more often as things settle down in a few weeks.  Happy holidays to all of you!  May God bless you richly  in the coming year.