Sunday, May 19, 2013

There Are Going to be Some
Changes Around Here!
Sunday May 19, 2013

My husband has been warned.  There are going to be some changes around here when I can hear!!!!

When I first realized that I had a hearing problem, I told my husband that jokes were the first thing I lost.  So often when someone makes a comical comment on a situation that is happening right then, they make the comment "under their breath" or they whisper it to those around them.  Quickly it occurred to me that I couldn't hear those.  People near the person making the silly comment would hear it and laugh and I would have no idea what had been said.  Often we weren't in a situation where someone could repeat it for me.  Just in the telling of a normal joke, there may be a pun or a play on words within the joke and I would often not hear enough of the joke for it to make sense to me.


My husband and I have always teased each other and for the most part, we know where the boundaries are.  I have told him he can't tell a certain "meatloaf story" to people we have just met; especially if we have just invited them over for a meal.  There are things I would never tease him about in public.  But over time he discovered that he could tell things about me and people would look my way and laugh and I would not have a clue about what he had said.  When I would say, "What did you say?"  He would often turn red, and sweetly say, "I said, I love you."  When he would do that, I would usually elbow him in the ribs, or whack him on the arm, knowing full well that he had not just said that, but still not knowing what had been said.  Now he tells people that every time he tells me he loves me, I hit him.  Well, that is probably true, but I know he deserves it.

So that brings us to the the current times.  I am warning him:  When I can hear, he better watch out!  He will no longer get a free pass.  He can't tell things about me without me knowing what he said!

Seriously, it is true that jokes are the first thing that you lose when your hearing starts to fail.  Think about the things that have made you laugh recently.  Many of those things were whispered.  Some of those things might be best left unsaid, but many are just cute, witty remarks made to bring a smile to someone.

So the standing joke around our house these days is: Watch it!  Your days are numbered!  And he will smile sweetly and say, "I just said, I love you!"  Right....

In just  little over two weeks, Ron and I will have been married 48 years, so I guess the teasing has worked for us.  Even though I may "elbow" him, or "whack" him on the arm, in those 48 years I have never doubted that he loved me and that he was totally committed to me, our marriage, and our family.  Laughter is one of the strongest memories of the time period when our four sons were all living at home.  There was usually an abundance of laughter around the dining table and I sure hate the quiet meals we have now that the kids are gone and I can't really hear enough to carry on an easy conversation.



This afternoon after our guests had gone home, he told me that in the lesson he taught in our Bible study class this morning, the marriage vow to "love, honor, and obey" had come up.  (As usual, I had heard none of his lesson.)  He said that when we arrived home, I was busily trying to get lunch on the table for the 12 of us who were hungry, and that I kept giving him "orders"  for the first ten minutes.  I told him that I was sorry for doing that to him.  I told him I appreciated his help and that I knew he was helping more than ever, now that I have lost my hearing.  He picked up the dry marker board that he often uses to communicate with me, and  wrote: "I'm not offended.  It was just funny."   I thank God for the husband that He gave me and for the gift of laughter.  I plan to laugh a lot more when I can hear what is going on!

2 comments:

  1. One of my very fond memories of being in Ron's class shortly after we moved to Brownsville: he was talking about different kinds of love and in explaining romantic love, he said "when she steps out of her office or comes around the corner, my heart still melts." Yes, mam, he loves you!

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  2. Thanks, Tiny. I love that he is not ashamed to talk about his love for me. I am so blessed.

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