I should be studying right now but I'm not. I'm thinking about how lucky I am. I have the wonderful blessing of being able to hear! My senior year I took an American Sign Language class and in that class we were given a pair those little foam earplugs to wear while in class. A couple times we were also given the opportunity to wear them outside of the class. Now those cheep little earplugs didn't muffle out everything but they did a pretty good job. I remember wearing them and just feeling so left out of things. I missed hearing my surroundings! I didn't like loosing my hearing. Wearing those also threw me back to my freshman year. November of 2006 I had a brain tumor removed. Before the tumor was removed it was effecting my sight and my hearing. I really didn't realize that it was as bad as it was until it was removed and everything went back to normal. I remember laying in bed one night about a week or two before surgery and just trying to hear something. All I could hear was what sounded like to me, someone shaking a poster board right next to my head. I had to listen over that if I wanted to hear anything.After the tumor was removed or after a long day of having earplugs in, and taking them out, I was so thankful for my hearing!
All last week I had been really busy and really hadn't had time to stop and smell the roses. Life was getting crazy and I felt a bit rushed with everything I was doing. But that weekend I had a nice reminder that I do need to be aware and be thankful for what is going on around me!
Saturday morning I helped my Grandpa clean up some stuff outside. I am thankful I can hear the different noises a broom makes when sweeping up something wet verses something dry or the sound of a piece of wood getting thrown into the back of a truck. I didn't plan on being outside that day, I was wanting to get some studying done for my class but I am thankful I was able to hear my Grandpa using his saw because once I got outside I'm glad I was there! I am thankful for a blue sky and pretty little song birds.
My friend came down from Logan and stay with me Saturday and Sunday. I am thankful for my friends. The drive is a little over and hour, from Logan to Layton. She called me when she was on her way and I could hear her music in her car in the background. I am thankful for music, radios and ipods. Music makes driving (and studying) enjoyable!
That night my uncle made Japanese food and invited us over for dinner. Three of the seven families on my Mom's side were there. I love walking into a room of people and hear that low murmuring sound of everyone talking. Well my family is a bit louder than "low mumuring" but nonetheless I am thankful to be able to walking into a room full of loved ones and hear all their voices. I love my crazy family and all of my crazy little cousins! Some no probably most people would be overwhelmed by my family but I am thankful to hear the laughs and giggles and squeals of my cousins playing with each other.
That night when I got home I had the worst stomachache and headache imaginable. It was awful. So my friend and I decided to watched The Titanic. But before we started the movie we just laid on the bed in quiet. I am thankful the ability to be quite. (I know that sounds crazy coming from me. but it's true!) After the movie we had some chat time :) I am thankful I could hear her stories, her funny remarks and the silly voices and accents she would use.
That morning we woke up to snow, not a lot but there still was some. I am thankful for the sound of snow falling. One of my favorite sounds is the quiet you hear when you go outside early in the morning after it has been snowing all night. The snow muffles everything and it is so peaceful, not to mention pretty. Well there was no rush to get ready for church so my Grandpa and my friend pulled out their piano books and tickled the ivory's. I wish that I could play the piano. I wish that I would have stuck with it all those years ago. But I am SO thankful that I can hear a piano being played. I think I could listen to someone play the piano for hours! And that's pretty much what I was able to do Sunday morning. It was wonderful.
My friend and I had plans to go to a singles ward in Layton but unfortunately our information must have gotten mixed up because when we pulled into the church parking lot there wasn't another car to be found! So we ended up going to some random family ward. (only in Utah that would happen where you can find another church house a block away) We sat down a couple minutes before it was going to start. Just enough time to scope out the ward and find 5 people with mullets. Sorry that was beside the point, the meeting started and we opened our hymn books to sing Nearer My God To Thee. I am thankful I can hear the hymns of the church. So many times I have recieved an answer to a prayer of comfort through singing a song at church. Music is an amazing thing. So we started singing, and I am not the worlds best singer, I can't even read the music I'm singing, but I sang anyways. I have always appreciated people who have musical talents. Be it playing an instrument or singing. And I love when people share those talents! My friend is one of those people who was blessed with BOTH of those abilities. I am thankful she came to church with me. I am thankful she sat next to me so I could hear her singing!
That night after my friend had left and all of my aunts and uncles and cousins had gone home I went up stairs to think about the week that had past and the one coming up. It was then that I realized that I had been rushing to get things done and hurrying to do the next thing all week. It was then that I realized that I had been passing by opportunities because I didn't see them. It was then that I realized that the past two days had been a wake up call. I had been blessed with hearing some of my favorite sounds to help me realize that I do need to stop and listen :) and I'm so thankful I can.
