Dear Wonderful Friends;

I'm writing again this month about attitude. It really helps everyone (especially the handicapped) to be a positive thinker. I hope you enjoy these words:

Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely girl with golden hair
I envied her-she was so pretty-and I wished I were as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;
She had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine
I have two feet-the world is mine.

And then I stopped to buy some sweets.
The boy who sold them had such charm.
I talked with him---he said to me;
"It's nice to talk with folks like you."
"You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine,
I have two eyes-the world is mine.

Then walking down the street
I saw a child with eyes of blue
He stood and watched the others play;
It seemed he knew not what to do.
I stopped for a moment, then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word,
And then I knew he could not hear.
Oh, God forgive me when I whine;
I have two ears--the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go
With eyes to see the sunset's glow
With ears to hear what I would know
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine
I'm blessed, indeed! The world is mine.

I can relate very well to the deaf child in the above poem. I'm sure you, my hearing impaired friends, can, too. Have you ever wondered at times "why me?" There has to be a reason for our problems...and my faith tells me there will be a reward some day.

I like the "reason" in the Bible which states why a man was born blind: "that the works of God should be made manifest in him."(John 9:3)

I also have a favorite saying that I repeat often. It helps me to be patient. It says simply "After the test comes the blessing." I know from experience that this is true. We all have tests of different kinds. This
is part of life's experience. We're supposed to have problems to solve and as we overcome these adversitites, we become wiser and stronger people.

So....we can't hear properly. Think of Helen Keller who could neither see nor hear. With a good teacher she overcame her handicaps to a great degree. Through great difficulty she learned to talk and to write. She
persevered until she got a good education and eventually she became a public speaker.

These are a few of her words that have inspired me:

"We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world."

Love,

Tom Osmond