Sounds I've heard Monday and Tuesday:

1. Water running when I was washing my hands. I've learned from washing my hands in different sinks (store, restaurant, home and doctor's building) that each has a different sound!
2. I flushed toilets at the store, restaurant, home and doctor's building and noticed each toilet does not sound the same and were all different.
3. I heard sounds made by different kinds of shoes as people walked by at the store and doctor's building.
4. I learned that the front screen door at my parents' home squeaks and I never knew that. After hearing it for the 3rd time I said to my parents, "Get the WD-40 it's getting on my nerves!" They laughed and told others who called what I said.
5. When I turned the signal on to make a right turn I heard it.
6. I can hear everything on the TV, DVD, CD and Cassette tapes and I am working at 'listening' to break it all down and understand what they are saying. This will take practice and patience.
7. I can hear everyone around me talking but have to work at 'listening' and know what they are saying. I am able to hear and understand when mom says, "Wendy" for this is what the audiologist practiced saying to help me recognize my name and had mom do that too.
8. I heard the fork hit the plate as I was picking up food to eat. Didn't know about this sound!
9. I heard a little screw drop.
10. I heard how LOUD it can be in a restaurant.
11. I heard the newspaper make noise as I opened it to read.
12. I heard peppermint wrapper make noise. Now I know why I was told in church, 'sh sh stop that you are making noise.'
13. When I twisted off the cap to my drink I heard it make noise. I told mom it sounded like air coming out.
14. When I walked in the yard at my parents' house on the rocks on the ground I heard noises coming from under my shoes as I walked on those rocks.
15. I heard my mom cough and sneeze without having to look at her. I turned and said 'bless you' when she sneezed. I learned that mom and dad cough different and sound different.
16. I heard people talking in the elevator and heard something each time the elevator stopped at each floor or when it stopped on my doctor's floor to let me on or off. Mom told me what I was hearing when I asked her, "what was it that I just heard."
17. I heard how LOUD it was in the pharmacy in the professional building where my doctor is. I heard the pills rattling and shaking as the pharmacist was filling the bottles with pills.
18. I learned that all the doors that open automatically each have a different sound and not 1 door sounds the same.
19. I picked up a magazine and heard the pages make a noise and when I threw it down on the coffee table it made a noise.
20. Learned that if I scratch my fingernails on the wall or tap on plastic cover, metal or wood it makes a sound.
21. Heard that the kids in the parking lot where I live were loud.
22. Heard the light switch on and off.
23. Heard one of my CD's that I was playing on my portable CD player sounded like it was 'jumping' at times. I showed it to mom and she told me that the CD was playing better on her CD stereo player and was not playing good on my portable CD player which is why it was jumping.
24. Heard how loud it can be when you are driving with your window down. I heard a fire truck pass by and was surprised to learn that it sounded different compared to how it sounded with my hearing aid.
25. Learned that it can be LOUD in a store and the speaker is loud! If we still had a K-Mart here I know what I would hear on the loud speaker would be "Attention K-Mart shoppers there is a Blue Light sale going on in Aisle 4."
26. Learned that when I threw some jeans on top of the end table that made a noise.
27. Got to learn to close the cabinets in kitchen and bathroom quietly because I learned that when I closed them I was making TOO MUCH NOISE.
28. Found out that opening and closing the refrigerator and freezer made a noise.
29. Heard noise coming from the break pedal as mom was driving. It was her shoe making the noise.
30. Learned that lamps click on and off.

Each time I hear a sound I write it down in a journal what I heard and was given a CI journal to record everything. I've learned that the world is full of noise and sound! I'll be checking out audio books at the Library and hopefully there'll be a book to read along with what I'm listening to for this will help me a lot with my 'listening therapy'.

One important thing that everyone must know is that when I take the speech processor off at night or to shower I am still deaf. A Cochlear Implant is not the same as a hearing aid. There's a huge difference in how these 2 work. I've found that I have heard so much with the Cochlear Implant on Monday and today (Tuesday) all day compared to all the years with a hearing aid. I would say that taking it off to go to sleep is the hardest thing to do for I would like to see what it's like at night. I am sure I would probably hear my dog Duke snoring!

So perhaps when you hear a bird chirping, or the pitter-patter of rain, or even the sound of your baby giggling... you will consider not taking those sounds for granted.

Gayle, my friend and the interpreter for Wendy, sent me a note::
"I tried to leave a note on your web site but it would no work. I want to add something to what you have said. Wendy has been in our family for many many years Her testimony has become so sweet and continues to get sweeter...she is a recent (past few years) christian. She would go on vacation with us only to become frustrated with all our "God" talk...now...try to get her to talk of anything else. I shared with her about Kara losing her hearing now. She was so sweet and will undoubtedly become an even closer member of our family. She wrote me such an encouraging letter today for Kara and the family. She loves my girls as if they belonged to her. She was amazed at "her" girls when she was here recently and loved the relationship they all share with the Lord...the "conversation" was so wonderful and watching my family use what they remember in sign was very special. The most precious thing to me , however, is that the Lord would use Wendy with Kara ! We serve an awesome God!"

It has been like losing an old friend... not having time to write about the many things the Lord is teaching me in this season of life.

I pray the Lord allows me to write again soon. Not because I think I have something to say that you MUST "hear". No. But because this meager blog of mine was a way for me to boast in what the Lord is accomplishing in this marred vessel, made whole through the blood of Christ, my King, my Lord. This seems so similar to the time in my life when I had to stop speaking for Women's Ministries.

But then, God's grace is truly sufficient. He provides all that we need in these seasons of life and I look forward to what He has in store. I have sooo much to learn and it is vastly more important that I spend my time in the Word of God, than writing.

May the Lord bless you all abundantly.

You can find his website here: http://www.matthewsmith.us/
On his website you will hear samples of his music, his current tour locations, etc.

At his MySpace you will find out what is required to have a concert at your church along with more song samples and tour info. http://www.myspace.com/matthewsmithmusic

I love his music. It consists mainly of old hymn reworks. Beautiful, God-honoring and Biblically rich music.

The above quote made a dear friend in Turkey come to mind, as well as a precious family of 6 that are staying with us at our home when they need to. These women and their families are facing many challenges, but God, in His tender mercy, is and will continue to provide all they need for their journey until they reach their final destination, the "promise land" for all those who believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ... Heaven.

July 23 2008

The pathetic main stream American media continue to withhold the truth from the American public in order to serve their own biased agenda. The Investor's Business Daily editorial board asks, "What would happen if the U.S. won a war but the media didn't tell the American public? Apparently, we have to rely on a British newspaper for the news that we've defeated the last remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq ."

London 's Sunday Times called it "the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror:" a terrorist force that once numbered more than 12,000, with strongholds in the west and central regions of Iraq , has over two years been reduced to a mere 1,200 fighters, backed against the wall in the northern city of Mosul . The destruction of al-Qaida in Iraq is one of the most unlikely and unforeseen events in the long history of American warfare. We can thank President Bush's surge strategy, in which he bucked both Republican and Democratic leaders by increasing our forces instead of surrendering. We can also thank the leadership of the new general he placed in charge there, David Petraeus, who may be the foremost expert on counter-insurgency warfare. And we can thank those serving in our military in Iraq who engaged local Iraqi tribal leaders and convinced them America was their friend and al-Qaida their enemy.

Al-Qaida's loss of the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis began in Anbar Province , which had been written off as a basket case, and has spread out from there. Now, in Operation Lion's Roar, the Iraqi army and the U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are destroying those terrorists who are left; more than 1,000 operatives have been apprehended. Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin, traveling with Iraqi forces in Mosul , found little AQI presence, even in bullet-ridden residential areas that were once insurgency strongholds, and reported that the terrorists have lost control of its Mosul urban base, with what is left of the organization having fled south into the countryside.

Meanwhile, the State Department reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government has achieved "satisfactory" progress on 15 of the 18 political benchmarks, a big change for the better from a year ago. Things are going so well that Maliki has for the first time floated the idea of a timetable for withdrawal of American forces. He did so while visiting the United Arab Emirates , which over the weekend announced that it was forgiving almost $7 billion of debt owed by Baghdad , an impressive vote of confidence from a fellow Arab state in the future of a free Iraq .

But where are the headlines and the front-page stories about all this good news? As the Media Research Center pointed out last week, "the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 were silent Tuesday night about the benchmarks" that signaled political progress!

The war in Iraq has been turned around 180 degrees both militarily and politically because the president stuck to his guns. Yet apart from IBD, Fox News Channel and parts of the foreign press, the media don't seem to consider this historic event a big story. Obama now says that progress was underway in Iraq before the surge. Suppose those serving in our military take offense to the implication that they didn't make it happen - can we expect the press to set the record straight?

... I read your blog last night and thought you might find this [prayer request below] interesting. As you might can tell, I love politics! For the past week I have been meeting with Christian women in regards to our praying for [Palin] and what God has in store for our Christian faith in this country. "Greater things are still to be done in this city" is a worship/prophecy that has been spoken over America in the recent past. In explaining how important she is to the Republican party to several Christian women who don't think a woman should be in political leadership, I keep going back to Jdg. Debra. She brought Israel to their knees. She was not a blessing, but a necessity. In studying and talking this through, God has also brought it that we need to pray for the men who must follow her. For their conviction and strength. It points to what lacks with many men, both Christian and non believers, that men are loosing their masculinity. In my opinion the media castrates the courage of many men. For years the church as also spoken so of Jesus meek and mild and loving that Jesus strong and mighty and like a lion has been ignored.

Okay, so I say all this to ask that in your more eloquent blogging ways, that you prayerfully encourage your readers to pray not just for Palin, but for the generation of men that need to rise up.

Love ya...

Our pastor here in Bigfork, Montana, Hal Curtis, is friends with the pastor of Sarah Palin's pastor in Wasilla, Alaska. His name is David Pepper and the church is Full Gospel Churchof Wasilla, AK.
Three days before Gov. Palin was announced by John McCain as his choice for VP, she came before her pastor to be annointed and prayed over for service to God. She didn't tell the church what was going on....just that she needed their prayer support. During the mere days since the announcement, the pastor and the church have been bombarded with questions from the media. They are trying to get the word out to Christians all over the nation to pray for God's protection of Sarah Palin and of their church. They suspect that the treatment of Jeremiah Wright will pale in comparison to what is coming their way as a conservative Christian body.
When the little Down's Syndrome baby of Todd and Sarah Palin was dedicated a few months ago, their statement to the congregation was "This little boy is my pro-life statement." According to David Pepper, Todd and Sarah are very strong in their faith in Jesus Christ and believe God has put them in this position to serve Him.
Let's remember to pray for Gov. Palin and her family as they walk through this very trying time!

As for Obama...disoriented and demoralized in the aftermath of Palin's May-I-Smack-You-Liberal-Pansies-With-This-Here-Two-By-Four speech... ouch!

But then, I cannot ignore Voddie Baucham. He brings up my concerns. Concerns that should not be ignored. However, this election is what it is and though these concerns are real and this election is, well, very difficult to describe, I will vote for McCain/ Palin. Most importantly, I will be praying fervently for them and I hope you will be, too.

When I found out Palin was the VP choice I got a hold of everything I could about her... and my mind kept thinking of Deborah in the book of Judges. Deborah, the prophetess and judge of Israel, was the only woman to hold that office. What seems to be overlooked is that Deborah served as Israel's Judge when no men were willing to lead. In Judges Chapters 4-5, after 20 years of oppression, God told Deborah that it was time to deliver the people once again. She appointed Barak to lead the army, but he was afraid to go without Deborah. Yes, she had deep faith in God and she united the people of Israel and lead them to victory against the Canaanites. What we must understand is that this was not a blessing to have a woman in this role. Though there was victory, this was actually a judgment against the men who were not willing to lead. Remember that and pray.

Be informed! Ignorance is no excuse.