Why I joined an American Sign Language congregation

For years, even before I married, I was interested in sign language. I thought it was an interesting way people could communicate. Little did I know how important it would become to me.

The funny thing is, without even knowing it, I married a man that was interested in learning sign language WAAAAAAYYYY before we married. He would position himself at District Conventions where the Translators were signing to the Deaf brothers and sisters.  I did the same thing. My sister started learning sign language from a friend of ours, and I was always kind of jealous, but I didn't make an issue out of it, but was a little put off when our friend (who was teaching my sister) didn't ask me to join in. But I don't hold a grudge about it.  There were plenty of things to keep me busy in my teen years and early 20's.

Then I started losing my hearing.  At first I didn't even notice it. But eventually I couldn't sit in the back of my classroom in High School without being able to hear the teacher, especially if he/she had her face turned away while they were speaking (like when they were writing on the chalk board was very difficult).  Finally I realized it was getting serious, so I mentioned it to my parents. I remember my dad trying to reassure me that, "it's probably just too much wax in your ears. It's probably nothing."  But, of course, anyone that knows me, knows that my physical problems are anything but normal. Apparently it's quite common for persons with this Brittle Bone disease, or Osteogenesis Imperfecta, to lose their hearing. It has to do with the small bone in your ear, your stapes, developing a calcium build up, thus not allowing the bone to vibrate and amplify sound. So in I go for surgery for a stapendectomy, full removal of the stapes to replace it with a stainless steel wire.

Well that fix worked for about 15 years, then I noticed my hearing diminishing again. I was devastated when the ear doctor said that the surgery probably would not work again, would not be worth the trouble, but that I was a good candidate for hearing aids.  HEARING AIDS?!?!?  I was not even 40 years old!!! No way!!! Only old people needed hearing aids.  Well, after about 10 years I realized that my hearing was not getting better, and I was starting to take my young daughter with me everywhere I needed a translator, so that she could hear clearly for me, then relay clearly what I needed to know. I knew I could not cripple her by doing this forever. And when I would sit at my Kingdom Hall and not be able to clearly hear the Public Speaker or follow along in the Watchtower lesson, I knew it was time to give in.

At first hearing aids were hard to adjust to.  I had lived in such a quiet, peaceful world for so long, it was frustrating to now hear EVERYTHING! My bare feet scuffing against the carpet made noise.  The computer keyboard made noise when I typed. The cat, who I thought was a quiet cat, was LOUD! I was shocked when sitting in my mom's family room, I hear a hum start up, like a machine.  I didn't realize that the refrigerator was so noisy! But eventually, after about a month, I adjusted, and I have to say, hearing aids changed my life. I went back to work, working at Disneyland in the ticket booth. Wow! What a difference! From avoiding public situations to putting myself right in it. Anytime anyone would like to ask me if they should get hearing aids, I'll be happy to talk to them. I wouldn't tell you that you should get hearing aids but I will tell you how happy I am with them, and that you are really missing out on a lot of life.

So learning sign language, now I realize, was a great fit for me.  Probably because of  the fact that I've been losing my hearing for decades, it was quite easy for me.  I had read, people had told me "Sign language is the hardest language to learn," I but immediately made sense to me, even though I didn't understand it immediately, there was an immediate connection to it.  Now I do all my Bible study in ASL. I prefer the bible in ASL. It's like living the bible, not just reading about it.

So, one of my first posts will probably be from yesterday's experience, but eventually I'll tell other stories that happened in between the beginning of my journey to present day.