Learning Opportunities

There have been times in my life that I have had my feelings hurt or have felt discouraged. Today was such a day. As I look back, those experiences have provided me with opportunities to be bitter and angry, or an opportunity to learn, grow, improve and to avoid similar circumstances in the future.

I went to a meeting today and met with a disappointment. I came home from the meeting with a heavy heart, and feeling disappointed. I was lucky to have a good friend that was sensitive to the situation. He called me and with a short conversation, he helped me feel better about myself and about my overly tender feelings.

Within an hour after the meeting another friend, a member of my church came by to visit us in our home. A phone call would have been adequate to conduct his business. He expressed love and concern for us.

Our evening meal tonight ended with a fortune cookie. It said, "Our problems never leave leave us where we found them." I believe that it is true. Our problems can give us an excuse for spend our energies on a pity party, or they can give us an opportunity to learn and grow. I really want to make this experience an opportunity to improve.

We'll miss our little buddy

Ten years ago Betty was encouraging me to get a pet to encourage me to walk more. We walked through Pet City and a little fur ball caught Betty's attention. She said that she was getting the dog for me, but for her it was love at first site. He as playful and he loved Betty. It wasn't hard for Betty to love him back. Before long, our bank book was lighter because we bought a puppy, a kennel for training, a leash, a collar, license tags, dog food, and a couple of toys so that he wouldn't wouldn't be chewing the furniture with his sharp little teeth.

We had no way of knowing that over the next few months this little animal would capture our attention, our love, and our devotion.

Betty would not have another dog like the last one we had that we found on our kitchen table with the remnants of a bonsai tree in his teeth. She looked around until she found an obedience school and we were off to obedience school.

The two ladies who taught the class were professional trainers of service dogs. I wasn't convinced that they knew what they were doing. I thought that some of the things that hey had us do were like snake oil to get our money.

One of the things that we had to do was to walk around the house and the yard with a puppy tethered to our waist. He learned to sit when we sat, he learned to move when we moved. He seemed to love being at our sides.

One day, I took Brewster to a local nature reserve. I did as the trainers had assigned us for the weekly homework. I allowed Brewster to walk at my side and gave him more and more leash. When he got busy, I crouched down in front of a tree where I could see him, but he could not see me. He went frantic. He ran from side to side and could not find me, but I was watching him. When I thought he had had enough, I called him and he came to me. He never again let us out of his site.

One of the things that Betty and I enjoyed with him was agility training. He was a bit timid, but after some coaxing, he learned to run the tunnels, weave the through alternating posts, cross bridges and even through a barell that had a dark drape at the end so that he couldn't see the exit. I couldn't always be there because of my church calling (and a hundred other excuses.) Betty and Brewster were faithful with his agility training and before long, they were having a ball.

One thing that amazed me about Brewster was his ability to pick up on our feelings. When there were people in our home that we cared deeply for, he acted on those feelings. He loved who we loved and expressed that affection. He loved our children, our grandchildren, and our friends.

We had a home teacher that was not fond of dogs. He was a cat person. Brewster was persistent. He would lay his chin on the sofa and look up at Russ with his big brown eyes. Before long, they became good friends.

We're not sure what happened. Thursday evening, he was playing as I cut the grass. He lay in the shade and watched me walk back and forth. He didn't seem himself. An hour later, he was sick. We had seen this before and weren't too concerned. When we got up the next morning, he was really in critical condition and we knew it. We bundled him up and took him to the vet, but they weren't able to save him.

Tonight, our home is quite and in our hearts there is an empty spot. I know that there are people who think were extreme with our shower of attention to our little canine friend. What many didn't see was the affection that was returned to us. When we needed to talk, he would cock his ears and tilt his head and listen as no one ever had. When we were needing companionship because we had become empty nesters, he gave that to us. He really became a part of our family. We loved him and he loved us back. We'll miss him.

Growing older is presenting challenges

I remember my amazement when I got my first pair of glasses. I had always known that trees had roots and rough bark and a lot of green on top. That's about as much as my first grade mind knew. When I put on my first pair of glasses, I was amazed that the trees had leaves and that I could see them.

Over the last couple of years, Betty and I have developed a friendship with a dear lady who is hearing impaired. She reads lips really well. She loves it when the TV is really loud and she can hear the music. She has taught us about being happy with your lot in life and relishing the simple pleasures that you do have.

I knew that I was having some difficulty understanding people when I couldn't see their faces. I knew that there was a possibility that I had lost some hearing, but I always just shrugged it off and kept on going.

Recently I began some routine health reviews at the VA clinic here. They suggested that I go through a hearing screening. In preparation for the screening, my ear canals were thoroughly cleaned. A large amount of wax had accumulated. I immediately could hear better and I thought I was done, but decided to have do the screening to be thorough.

The day of the hearing screening, I was told that there was a range of frequencies that I was missing in my left ear and that I would be a good candidate for a hearing aid. That gave me some time to think about what it would be like to wear a hearing aid. A time or two, I have given my aunts a hug to hear feedback coming from their ears. I could not imagine how I would be able to tolerate that.

Yesterday was the big day. I was fitted for a hearing aid and left the clinic to again experience the world of sound, but with a tiny device hidden behind my ear. The aging process had quietly taken tones from me without my being aware of it.

I've had two days experiencing the sounds around me with the same wonder that I felt a half a century ago when I put on my first glasses and discovered that trees have leaves. I'm enjoying the soft sounds of whispers and sighs. I'm enjoying the song birds of spring. I am enjoying Betty's conversation with our dog as she scurries around the house. Each of our five senses is a precious gift from God. I will cherish each of them every day of my life.