The air in Florida is changing ever so slightly. It's 86 degrees at 9:00 am, instead of 91 degrees as it was just a few weeks ago. It's a sign of hope that soon, the blistering heat and humidity will turn to cool breezes in the warm sunshine.

When I first began cooking whole food, the kids had a hard time transitioning. They offered hopes of returning to some of our old dishes that they loved so much. One day, one of my sons came to me and told me that he missed some of the other recipes, but never realized how good whole food could taste. I took those magic words as a sign that my family was on board with our whole food lifestyle.

This morning, while waiting with my daughter at the bus stop, I received a sign of a different kind. This sign filled my heart like I can't explain. My eyes are filling up as I share this with you.

There were several kids running around the popular corner where the bus pulls up at 9:14 am. We watched as the boys raced up and down the sidewalk, and other moms chatted while rocking their strollers back and forth. Josie and I stood in comfortable silence. Then she tugged at my t-shirt sleeve for me to watch her. And there, on the sidewalk on the corner of our street, she asked me "How are you, Momma?" in sign language. 

Josie and I have been watching YouTube videos on sign language ASL. We have fun trying to communicate in sign after the video has stopped. Almost like we are testing out what we've learned. She laughingly corrected me when I said "toilet" instead of "same". HaHa.  

Right now, it's fun learning sign language. And such a huge blessing to be learning it with my 11-year old, Josie. But as my diagnosis of advance otosclerosis and nerve loss predicts, there may come a day when sign language will be all I have to communicate. I try to read lips, but my goodness that's difficult. I'm glad we are doing this together.

I have always loved cooking. My passion for cooking has actually increased with my severe hearing loss. The kitchen is a safe and happy place for me. The food doesn't talk. I don't have to read lips or turn my head awkwardly to strain to hear what it's saying. The only thing I really miss is the whistle of the tea kettle and sizzling from the skillet.  

Having my kids in the kitchen with me is comforting as well. They've helped me since they were small, so now, they are all equipped to prepare a meal for the whole family whenever needed. I think that's a sign. That's a sign that we will stay tight. Tight through pre-teen years. Tight through high school. Tight through relationships and transitions and troubles.

Though sign language might be my new form of communication at some point in the future, I am confident that my hearing loss is not a sign of who I am or what I am capable of. I just might have to do things a little bit differently. And that's ok. I think of it as a sign that I am strong.

Here is the YouTube video that got Josie and I started - by KateMaria, Learn American Sign Language (ASL) Lesson 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8WIr61r1Do