Revitalize Your Church

I can identify with this poem by Beethoven and am sharing it in honor of his birthday. . .  My bad hearing  Does not trouble me here.  In the country  Every tree  Seems to talk to me, saying, "Holy! Holy!"  Inside the forest is enchantment  Which expresses all things –  Sweet peace of the forest!  Almighty, I am happy  In the woods,  Blessed  In the woods,  Every tree has a voice  Through thee.  O God, what glory  In such a woodland place!  On the heights is peace –  Peace to serve thee –  How glad am I  Once again  To be able to wander  In forest and thicket  Among the trees,  The green things and the rocks.  No mortal can love  The country as I do;  For woods and trees and rocks  Return the echo  A man desires. I found this at Your Daily Poem  This poem is in the public domain .

I' m biting the bullet and buying hearing aids this week. When the audiologist tested my ears, she said my deafness falls in the range of female voices. That explains a lot! I joke that Cathy talks twice as much as she used to, because she has to say everything twice. Hopefully, my hearing aids will help both of us, and will at least eliminate one of my excuses. Hearing loss is definitely a challenge. It takes tremendous concentrated energy to listen and understand. I am often utterly exhausted after conversations and meetings, because the simple act of hearing requires so much work. I'm looking forward to my hearing aids, but dread the "old man" stigma that accompanies them. I hope to simply smile and be a happy old man. At least I'll hear what you're saying. Happiness comes through acceptance. Cathy says I'm a better listener these days. "When you lean in to listen, I know you are paying attention and working hard to understand me....