We had no idea Rory was deaf or partially deaf until someone asked us if she was. Wait, what? How could she have lost her hearing and we didn’t notice? After this person pointed it out, we spent weeks coming up with random ways to test her hearing. We still were unsure. It definitely seemed like she had diminished hearing but was it actual deafness or just selective hearing? She’s a beagle after all. They are not compliant and do what they want. We asked the vet and he did a few basic tests as well and he seemed to think it was probably both.

It was probably a year later before we realized it could have been the ear drops she had received for a really nasty ear infection she had the previous winter. It was a resistant bacterial strain, so they gave her something strong. I hadn’t questioned it at the time but now I wish I had read all the inserts because hearing loss was a side effect. Not that it would have changed anything because we also couldn’t leave her with a nasty ear infection. Regardless, once we knew she couldn’t hear us, things were just different. It was sad knowing she didn’t know when I was talking to her, calling her one of her many nicknames or singing her lullaby’s that she often fell asleep to. Some say they still feel the vibrations of the familiar words and songs but I missed that tender part of our relationship.

At the time we discovered Rory had lost her hearing, we were staying with a family member. We had put our belongings in storage and went to help with a few family matters in another state. We had been contemplating staying in this state to be near family and buying a new home. We got involved at a local church and joined a small group. Our small group felt like what church family should be – warm, genuine and safe enough to share your struggles and receive truth in love. We monitored the new home build that was continuously delayed and travelled to other states nearby to try to offset some of the stress that comes with living with another family. All the while, mourning the loss of living in Washington, where we had dreamed of the being for so long.

Unfortunately, after the holidays, there was a falling out with those we were staying with. To preserve relationship, which has been reconciled (Praise God), I don’t want to go into all the details, but the event left me having heard the cruelest things I’ve ever been told in my life and left us without a place to live. We still had a couple months on the home build. We couldn’t really afford to rent anything or drain our savings before we bought a home. As we packed up our immediate needs, I called my small group and asked for the suggestion of a decent local hotel. After a few texts among them, we were told that one of the single girls in our small group would go stay at another’s house and we could stay in her townhouse so we weren’t just in a cold hotel room after this event. It was also arranged that our church family would come pack us up the next day and get our belongings to a storage unit.

The three of us were warmly welcomed into her townhouse and told to make ourselves at home. It’s a good thing Rory had travelled with us so much, so this shifting of where we slept probably wasn’t a surprise to her. We got settled and I cried over what happened. It was probably the one of the worst days of my life and we had no idea what the future would now hold. Yet as we tucked ourselves into bed that night, I had never felt so wrapped in God’s loving kindness and care. It felt like I was physically held in His arms. God clearly knew we would need these exact people, who truly lived out being the hands and feet of Christ, offering their homes, time and care.

Lying there, I randomly started saying Rory’s name in a super high pitch voice. Apparently, I hit the right tone because she heard me. Even she was shocked by it. I am sure it was confusing for her to hear her name after so many months of potentially nothing. She looked me at with what could only be construed as pure joy. She got up from the end of the bed and laid down right on my chest and fell asleep. She had never done this before! And I was in pure bliss – she had heard my voice and she was sleeping on me!

That night, despite all that was wrong and crumbling around me, I was not afraid of the future.

“So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”” Hebrews 13:6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4