OPEN LETTER received after she read my thoughts on the new book DEAF SENTENCE. I post it with her permission.

Good Morning,

Know that you all are in the middle of a major storm so whatever stay safe and warm.

I will be anxious to read "Deaf Sentence" as I to am coming to the realization that I am becoming more profoundly deaf all the time in spite of my hearing devices. I also realize that I miss a lot of things simply because I don't hear well and instead of bringing attention to it I just smile and engaged in some thing else that takes me out of an uncomfortable situation. Funny, no one in spite of rather intense medical scrutiny over this past year has ever given me a medical reason. I saw an ENT specialist a few years ago, who talked about everything else, but my deafness. That is because there is no clinical reason for it. It is just a product of genes and (the dirty word) AGE!!!! I know that being in my own world where I don't have to hear has become more and more comfortable for me. In that environment I am in charge and can hear my own thoughts loud and clear.

I know that my deafness is quite noticeable by other people and here I thought I was fooling people. The gig is up - I have a rather severe hearing problem and it does disadvantage me and I waste vast amounts of energy trying to compensate and pretend I hear when I don't. Then I have to scramble to make sure I haven't missed something important.

I watched my mother as hearing rapidly began declining and being totally deaf at the end. How much she had missed just because she couldn't hear and would not admit to it. We got her special ear phones for her to watch TV with, but she wouldn't wear them because they messed up her hair. I think it was because she couldn't hear any better with them.

Asking people to repeat things is annoying and even I become impatient with my husband who is also losing his hearing and compensates as I do and pretends he hears when he doesn't. We miss so much.

Okay enough whining, I am grateful for my life and the many blessings I have. So one more adjustment in this journey called aging. I AM VERY HARD OF HEARING SO BEAR WITH ME, IT IS PROBABLY GOING TO GET WORSE.

I am alive, well, blessed, warm, well fed, etc. and tell myself - "JUST GET ON WITH IT". Thank you God for everything.

Love to all