On April 19, 1995, I piled into the back of an old Chevy along with four other small-town newspaper reporters and made the 45-minute drive into Oklahoma City. It was dark when we arrived at the city’s downtown. The first thing I noticed was the enormous gaping hole of a federal building illuminated by floodlights. … Continue reading
Filed under prayer …
Don’t Ever Read Lips While Driving…Trust Me!
Driving and I don’t always get along. I admit that I should pay better attention to my motoring skills. From the scrape on the passenger door of my mini-van to the cracked bumper, I have participated in enough fender-benders to keep my insurance agent in business. Would it be okay to blame the inattentive driving … Continue reading
Why Is It So Hard for Me to Listen?
“Because I have hearing loss.” That would be the simplest way to answer my question. For years, I have struggled with taking the time to listen when others are talking with me. If a friend has a problem and needs a listening ear, I can focus for a minute or two, and then my mind … Continue reading
I Will Miss You, Maya
Weeks after my second child was born, I was in the throes of a horrible postpartum depression. Something motivated me to pick up a copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the memoir of author and poet Maya Angelou. In the book, Maya shares about growing up in racially segregated Arkansas and how … Continue reading
Book Giveaway: Celebrate the One-Year Anniversary of My Memoir
“I was already eager for the hospital stay to end. No more visiting nurses asking me soft-spoken questions that the ringing noise (in my ears) wouldn’t let me hear.” -Chapter One, Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom One year ago, I published Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom. The book shares the six years of … Continue reading
When All You Have Is Your Family…and Exhaustion
On Thanksgiving, I turned 40 years old. The next day, my five-year-old son and I began coughing. We coughed well into the night and the next day. When I couldn’t take it any more, Little Boy and I headed to an urgent care clinic. The “sleep and drink lots of fluids” recommendation didn’t settle with … Continue reading
Five Minute Friday: Broken and Beautiful
I am not so sure I like what I see today. Sags under the eyes, a mass of hair twisted into a low ponytail, my ears completely exposed. It took me two years before I’d let this much of myself show. My bottle blonde hair and palette of cosmetics usually help me blend in with … Continue reading
My Night of Heartbreak … and Hope
It had been a restless sleep. The hours after attending the funeral for my beloved younger sister were filled with tears and anxious thoughts. I kept thinking how I wished I had hugged her more and told her how much she meant to me. I pleaded for God’s help. That night, my two-year-old daughter slept … Continue reading
While Teaching My Kids About Generosity, I Learned Something
Don’t get me wrong. I like to shop for my children. It’s easy for me to lip read them when they repeatedly say, ‘Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeaasse.” And I love to lip read the words, “Ah, thanks, Mom.” As we left the store, a Salvation Army kettle ringer stood outside the store’s exit. I wondered if … Continue reading
Finding God, Healing, and Encouragement Through Hearing Loss
Lipreading Mom’s Note: This is a continuing series about depression among women. Today’s story comes from my friend, Kathy, who lives with a profound hearing loss and found help through, among many things, wearing cochlear implants. Kathy’s Story I had gradual hearing loss for about 25 years. I just dealt with it by getting stronger … Continue reading
Lipreading Mom 