November 26, 2013

A Day Filled With Friends and Errands

November 26, 2013

My day started with me not wanting to get out of my nice warm bed into a house that was a little chilly.  I hate to tell my husband that the house is cold, because I like the house cooler than he does, so I hate admitting that I am cold.  I did turn the thermostat up a little when I finally forced myself to get up and make Ron's coffee. 

When I went outside to take care of the birds, it was not uncomfortably cold out there.  The house blocks a north wind fairly well from the backyard, so I was able to fill the ponds and feeders in a short sleeved shirt and no jacket.  One of the blue budgies was back.  I am convinced this one is an escaped pet because he came to the feeders while I was still working in the yard.  A few sparrows joined him, but when I came near the feeder, all flew away except the budgie.  He flew to the nearest branch and just watched me from there.  I really think he wanted to come to me, but I guess it was the peer pressure.  Ha, ha. 

After breakfast I went to Wal-Mart for groceries for Thanksgiving lunch and for my contribution to a dinner at the church for international college students who will be at the university over the holiday.  I made a stop at the church to deliver the food and another item. 

Next stop on my list was the drug store to pick up a prescription that the dermatologist called in for me yesterday after my visit with him.  I remembered today that I didn't mention that appointment yesterday.  Ron and I use the same dermatologist and really like him.  He has a little bit of an unusual last name so Ron calls him Dr. Mike.  I didn't meet Dr. Mike until after I went deaf, so he has been fascinated by my Cochlear Implant and my progress.  Sad thing is, I don't get to show off with him how great I can do.  Dr. Mike talks extremely fast.  I mean, REALLY fast.  I think he must be practicing for the future of health care where you have to get the patients in and out in a hurry if you are going to make any money.  We feel he is the most thorough dermatologist we have gone to, but I sure have trouble understanding him.  I had one spot that concerned me, but he said it just needed this cream that I had to pick up today.  He found one tiny spot on my arm that he froze, but other than that, I got a good report and he said I didn't need to come back for six months.

From there I went to the office and worked.  I did some bookkeeping and waited on a variety of customers.  Then just after I ate my lunch, a high school friend stopped by to visit.  She stayed for about an hour and we had a very nice visit.  We were in band together and that made for strong bonds in friendship.  She sat in front of me in band a good bit of the time.  I played oboe and  she played flute.  She reads my blog and had kept up with things that were going on with me.  Part of our discussion started with a discussion of yesterday's blog and how things were different back when we were growing up, but we agreed that some things were just kept so private back then that times may have seemed better than they were.

I shared a story with her about when Ron and I first moved back to Brownsville in the mid 1970s.  I was working in the church office as the financial secretary.  Every summer the church would have 8-12 college students who would serve as summer missionaries through our church.  They would help with Vacation Bible Schools all over town during the summer and then work on projects in the afternoons.  One year when they first arrived, the pastor invited his secretary and me to join him at his home for an evening to get to know the new bunch of summer missionaries.  We went around the circle sharing some things about our lives.  Almost all of them had grown up in homes filled with problems.  Later the pastor, his secretary and I were in the kitchen.  His secretary made the comment that she hadn't known that she and I were the only ones with normal homes growing up.  We had both been blessed with wonderful parents who loved us and loved the Lord.  He said, "No, theirs are normal, yours are rare and unusual."  I will never forget that evening.  I usually thought that most kids had good homes with loving families.  Sadly, that was not true then and it is not true now.

While visiting with my friend, another friend came in and stepped over to chat for a few minutes.  She is the sister of a friend who has dealt with hearing loss this year, but from another cause.  This friend had a brain tumor that was damaging her hearing.  She knew that when her brain tumor was removed this past summer, she would lose all hearing in  that ear.  She is still waiting for the device that will help her - it is another type of device, not a Cochlear Implant.  She hopes to receive it over the Christmas holidays.  She teaches school and having only one ear that functions makes it hard to deal with the classroom filled with students.  It was good to get an update on her situation and to visit with her sister.  I could hear both of these friends.  We had good conversations.

Ron left to go do a couple of jobs and came back around 3:00.  He said I could leave if I wanted since I had the quilt group coming over this evening.  I took a deposit to the bank and then stopped to look for a Christmas gift and ended up with two!  I was very pleased with the items I found.  I am making a little progress!  While I was shopping, Ron texted to let me know the a/c repairman, Bob Middleton, was at the house working on the unit and would need in the house soon.  I told him I was ready to go home so when I got home I was able to let Bob in so he could finish the repairs.  Thankfully, the compressor and other parts that had to be replaced were still under warranty! 

Tonight's quilt group was going to be celebrating the birthday of one of the ladies so I made sandwiches, set the table, got out glasses and serving pieces, and straightened things in the sewing room.  Everyone in the group was able to be here except for one who has some health problems and didn't want to get out in the cold.  It is to be around 40 degrees tonight, so I understand her desire to stay home and safe. 

Those of us who did get together for quilting had a good time working on projects for the first hour and partying for the second hour.  We had good food and good fellowship.  All of the ladies have unique talents and are always willing to share new things they learn.  One lady did a "show and tell" demonstration of a new technique.  Looked like fun!  Tonight during the quilt group time, I had one of those times where I just get loud noises in my head that almost drown out the conversations.

Again this evening I am a little bit cold.  So I just got up and put a shawl over my lap that was a gift to me right after I lost my hearing.  Mom is a member of an on-line group that shares prayer requests and friendships.  One of the ladies in her group sent me this hand-made shawl when she heard I had gone deaf.  Ladies in her church make them and call them prayer shawls.  As they make them, they pray for the person who will receive the shawl, asking God to heal the person if it is His will and to meet the needs of the person.  This is the shawl I received and am using as I write this blog entry.  The ladies who sent it are strangers to me, but cared about my physical need and prayed for me.  The shawl is a constant reminder of the care and concern that those strangers had for me.  God has been with us every step of the way on this journey.