It's not only my favorite day the
week, but it's also Father's Day! I absolutely enjoy going to
church. NO. Enjoy is the wrong word. Empowered, recharged, energized,
revivified - inspirited - INSPIRITED - that the word. Contact with
the Creator! He not only made my ears. He made everything.
But we're just talking about Ears
here, aren't we? So here goes. A worship service is many things, from
conversation with friends and church family to music, vocal and
instrumental, to exposition of the Word - and especially Prayer.
Ears, and hearing, are essential for all of these. Except, perhaps,
for personal, rather than corporate prayer as we wait for the "still,
small, voice" God may use for His end of the dialogue.
I'm still curious today because I'm at
church with one hearing aid rather than two, and wondering how much
impact it will have on my understanding. Our Sanctuary has a T loop.
With two aids and my ComPilotII set to that mode, I heard every word
of the sermon. Not so good at understanding the words of the hymns
and choruses even though that also goes through the loop. Zero for
dialogue on the video clips sometimes projected on the two huge
screens at the front.
Before worship starts, two aids in,
face-to-face conversation with friends is just fair because talks are
going on all around.
Today, with one ear more-or-less dead,
hearing is degraded by half for casual conversation and music, such
as it has been through the long decline.
In addition to the Hearing Loop for
those with hearing aids, we have individual, in-the-ear FM receivers
for others who need amplification but don't wear aids. I picked up
one of those at the Welcome Center on the way to my seat determined
to continue testing any effect on the minimum residual hearing I
discovered with TV last night.
As the service got underway, I tried
listening to T- loop to aid only. Aid out, FM receiver in best ear.
Aid in, the receiver in dead-ear. Here's the result: I did hear sound
in the dead ear with the FM receiver turned to maximum. Not pleasant
or natural, but understandable. It also helped a little in
combination with my single aid.
As a special treat our performing
musicians today included a cellist. I could watch her bow the
instrument, but could not hear what she was playing - not a note. I
could pick out the sound of the guitar and rhymes performed on a set
of Congo drums by others of our talented musicians.
What, I wonder will music sound like
when the Implant is turned on and programmed? Will I recognize what I
hear as the music I remember? I've been cautioned by my Audiologist,
my mentors and by each of the company reps I've questioned, that this
is likely to be a relearning process over time as then brain reaches
back to buried memories.
Your individual perceptions are likely
to be different from mine as you go through your own discovery. God
created each of us differently. He established patterns, but we are
each solitary "snowflakes" distinct from one another. We
serve an infinite Lord!
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