speechless

We headed down to the beach, Abby running ahead of me anxious to join the others. We started laying down blankets and Abby sat with the other kids, looking for shells and digging in the sand. She jumped up and followed Sade into the water giggling as she laid back and let the warm water tickle her as the waves came in. It took me longer than a moment to register that I didn't take off her hearing aid. I ran over to her, waving my hands to get her attention and called her over to me. I felt around her right ear. Nothing. I asked her where her hearing aid was and she shook her head. "No hearing aid!" She said, and ran off to play. I quickly went to Brian and asked him if he had taken off her hearing aid and he said no. I did a quick search of the towels, the sand, the shovels and toys, saying a silent prayer that I would be able to find it, but knowing in my gut that the hearing aid was gone. In the ocean. For good.

I ran up to Abby and with earnestness I said, "Abby. I need to know where your hearing aid is. Where did you put your hearing aid?" She pointed to the waves, and said, "In the water." "You put your hearing aid in the water?" I asked incredulously. I began to panic. That's a $6,000 hearing aid. Abby's first day of school is on Monday. She can't communicate without it. What am I going to do? I grabbed Brian and said, Abby told me she put her hearing aid in the water." Brian said, "Are you sure?" and looked around the beach while I went to the shoreline. I surveyed the coast, the waves moving in and out, remembering the large area of space that Abby had covered before I realized it was gone and feeling completely and totally defeated. Brian walked over to me and asked me a question, and as he was talking I looked down at our feet. A wave was coming in, and I saw something hovering a few feet from where we stood. I squinted my eyes, looked closer and yelled, "Oh my gosh!" I quickly bent over and plucked Abby's purple hearing aid out of the ocean.

Brian's mouth gaped open. "You're kidding. How did you.....?" I immediately went into hearing aid CPR mode, saying another prayer that it might still work. I wiped it dry, took out the battery, and started blowing furiously into the battery compartment, trying to dry out the inside as much as possible. Continuing to blow, I walked back to the beach house, grabbed a replacement battery and tried it out. Nothing.

"Come on, come on, come on," I said under my breath and went upstairs to the kitchen, where the air was dry and cool, and continued to force air into the hearing aid, kicking myself that I didn't bring her de-humidifier. I closed the battery compartment again, waited, and then heard the sweet sound of feedback.

I gasped, and immediately my eyes filled with tears. I stood quietly, thanking the Lord for this small little miracle as Abby's hearing aid squealed with feedback.

How sweet the sound.