A Poem two days before surgery - a priceless gift

Today I went out for lunch with two girlfriends - we had so much to talk about and too little time. We had a wonderful visit and the three of us could gab for hours. We reluctantly said our good-byes. I promised to contact them as soon as I felt better after surgery. 

I went home, got my mail. As I was going through it, there was a small manila envelope, without a return address on it.  I didn't recognize the handwriting right away, so at first I didn't realize who sent the envelope.  I opened it, to find a poem with a note. This was written by a much beloved aunt, my mother's sister.  My aunt had written the poem when I was five.  I read the poem, and cried and cried.  I still can't read it without crying.  I was so moved by the poem and her depth of love for me at that age.  She wasn't even a mother at that time.  This is such a priceless gift. I will keep it forever.

The Poem is titled, " Mindy's World."

                                                                MINDY'S WORLD

Mindy laughed when she was two the way other children
do,
But she did not speak and never sang

Or seemed to know when doorbells rang

For sound was not a part of Mindy's world.

Oh, there were times her rage unfurled in torment from her
restive world,

But  angel-like, she would relent,

Tears exhausted, fury spent -

How game her fight to vault her shadow world!


But day by day, she muddled through and changed her
silent world which grew

In leaps and bounds, it seemed, (although
Miracles take time you know)

But words became a part of Mindy's world.

And now that she has found her wings, she speaks to us of
many things.

Her words are few, perhaps but proud!  A simple thing - to
speak aloud -

But that is what is new in Mindy's world.


There's a song. "Wind Beneath My Wings."  I first saw and heard it about 15 years ago - I was watching a music video on television of Bernadette Peters singing this song, and it touched my spirit.  That was the song that immediately came to mind when I read my Aunt's poem through my tears.

Post Implant, I would love to learn to sing. I'm not asking to become an opera singer.  I would like to learn to sing so that I can carry a tune and sing a song.  That may or may not be possible, but I would like to try.

I know there are hearing people who are tune deaf and cannot sing.  I would like to learn to read music, and to learn to play the piano, among other things. 

I know on an intellectual level, a cochlear implant isn't a miracle and doesn't cure deafness. But, Oh, Lord, the possibilities!  Just thinking of the marvelous technology that a cochlear implant  may do for me is just astounding!!

If spoken speech broadened the world of my then five year old world, just imagine what a cochlear implant is going to do for a middle aged woman?

What will I hear on Activation Day? in a week?  in a month? in a year?