Reflections and Photos

Gettin' Introspective

The beach. What a great place to take a few days to renew your spirit.  

This has been a crazy week.  On Monday, I went in for my ENT appointment and was also given a hearing test, where I found out I have some permanent hearing loss in my right ear.  Right now, I've not been told what caused this hearing loss, or if I'm going to lose more of my hearing.  I have to have an MRI done, and that's happening this Monday. I'm not really sure when I will get any answers, so this is something that is weighing on my heart a bit.  What will my life look like if I completely lose my hearing? I'm not really sure.  So, I'm learning ASL so I can be as ahead as possible if this happens.  (Also, John Mulaney and Ed Sheeran, if you want to just release everything possible that I can listen to in case I end up going deaf, I'd appreciate that.) 

So, anyway, I basically found out that I have permanent hearing loss in my ear, went to work that afternoon to play games with my youth, and then got up at 3 to catch my flight the next morning.  Besides the pain, I tried not to think about it on the beach, but yesterday during my flight delays and today, with no beach to focus on, I've really been thinking about what this means for me.   I've finally had this calling, this purpose: to be a Methodist pastor.  What will this look like if I lose my hearing? I guess I just have lots of questions at this point.  I'm not really angry or anything, but I'm just uncertain about what this means. 

Anyhow, I've spent most of my week laying on the beach, jumping in the ocean, sitting in the hot tub watching the surfers, or lounging on the pool deck reading.  I read Sarah Heath's book (the speaker I met at Young Preacher's Festival last week), and I'm so inspired.  I also started listening to her podcast, Sonderlust, yesterday on my flights, and it is incredible.  (Also - why do podcasts sometimes switch from one earbud to the other?  I thought it was cutting out, but it turns out, half of the conversation was just happening in my right ear.) I'm so inspired to do ministry in the Methodist church.  In one podcast episode, Sarah talked about reaching out to those outside of the church, and that's something I'd really like to do, as well.  Hey, I mean, I guess maybe I'll have a deaf church? Whatever you want, God. 

So, this week, I've been focusing on counting my blessings. Sure, I may not be able to always hear, but I'm still having a great life.  I mean, this year is going so, so well and I have so many things to look forward to.  

Here are some of the blessings in my life this summer:

My friendships with Mikayla and Paige (& the 3rd intern):

  

   

Learning and growing:

                       

(If I had a photo w/ Bill and Melissa, it'd go here)

Church Softball, and my mom and Brynn:

                                                 

Our road trip to Ohio:

  

  

    

My cousins:

    

  

                      

Our Family Pictures (Holly's not sent me them yet):

  

Cedar Point:

 

  

  

Uncle Wayne, and Grandma turned 96:

                                 

And a refreshing week at Daytona Beach:

    

   

   

   

  

  

  

  

  

               

   

                                    

Day 1-                                

Last day-

Well, as I'm spending most of the day trying to figure out how life might change with hearing loss and a hearing aid, I hope you enjoy these pictures.  

God Bless!