When the Impossible Becomes Possible

"With God all things are possible."

If I were given the choice between having hearing or sight I do not know which I would choose. Possibly hearing because most of my hobbies center around that, or maybe the sight and silence would allow me to hear God better.

The reason I bring this up is that my neighbors are deaf. For 20 years we have lived beside each other. Those years have not been easy, mainly because miscommunication can become so easy. Words do not mean the same to us. And I have never learned sign language, although I have often found myself feeling guilty when I have wanted to talk with them. Most of the time we sort of tolerate one another. We don’t get in each others way.

Recently, we noted a change next door. No one was bringing the dogs outside to chase frisbees and, heaven forbid, sometimes do bad things to my yard. There was extreme silence next door. The cars were unmoved and most importantly, Bob no longer mowed his yard. The yard was his pride and joy. Always immaculate !

One day his son-in-law was mowing the yard and we went over and talked to Mark. "What is going on," we asked. "Are Bob and Beverly ok?" He assured us they were fine but he said they had been in the hospital where they had received ear implants and because of that they were sick and having some difficulty in getting around. He said on August 1 the system would be hooked up to their ears and hopefully they could hear.

Yesterday, August 1, there was a lot of commotion next door. TV camera’s etc. I even had to quit mowing my lawn so the cameras could do their job.

I then heard my wife on the phone talking to my daughter. She was crying !!! She told Melinda, "I’m becoming like Dad, crying all the time over strange things happening, but I have been over to Bob and Beverly’s and they can hear for the first time."

Well, that’s my story. I am looking forward to talking to Bob and Beverly, although it will take them some time to adjust to the southern accent of the Phillips. BUT, you might like to read the whole story. It is on the front page of todays TENNESSEAN for August 2.

Yes, the impossible can become possible. You think about that !!!