the heart of miracles is...

i've been thinking a lot lately about miracles. we don't see too many miracles these days, and yet they happen all around us. because of incredible advances in medicine, technology, and generosity people are living full and productive lives with the HIV virus, releasing nations from slavery through twitter, and advancing love by breaking through cultural barriers that hold us back from discovering one important truth...we all bleed red: we need each other.

 i know i'm probably the last person on earth to have not seen this video which dates back to September of 2011. i am SO five-minutes ago...but my eyes filled with tears tonight as i watched this woman hear for the first time ever. can you imagine? watching her react to the miracle of sound and seeing her realization that she could actually hear in one ear was, well, miraculous. my heart melted instantly and in the purity of this woman's teary eyes i experienced her miracle together with her.

better still was the extension of this miracle on Ellen, who like 12,000,000 people saw this woman's story and invited her on tv to tell her story. the story goes that this deaf woman did not have the money to pay for the surgery that would cost $30,000 PER EAR. so, her mother-in-law (insert joke here) unexpectedly and uber-generously cashed in her retirement and paid for one ear's worth of hearing. but that left one ear still-deaf and became a mosaic backdrop for yet another incredible miracle--watch below.


so, let me summarize:

miracle 1: woman receives $30,000 from her mother-in-law.

miracle 2: deaf woman hears herself for the first time in one ear.

miracle 3: experience of hearing for the first time is video recorded by husband and posted on youtube where 12,000,000 people--and Ellen--witness her miracle.

miracle 4: woman tells her story on Ellen's talkshow, and Ellen then pays for 2nd ear surgery AND returns $30,000 to mother-in-law.

miracle 5: deaf woman hears out of both of her ears forevermore.


can i suggest something without being accused of trying to preach? miracles happen...everyday. but the real miracle in all of this is what happens inside of us when we realize there is hope for us. all of us have our deafness...sure, it might not be literal or physical, but everybody hurts. so when we finally see a miracle it's like a cool breeze blowing through an 80 degree march day in st. louis--for a moment everything is right again--and we have hope that our pain is not the end of our story. maybe there IS a day coming when all our tears will be wiped away...

the heart of miracles is what they do for our hearts...they heal our hearts. though we grew cynical, gave up hope, resolved to simply endure life rather than believe we could enjoy it--hope rose again to help us see what is unseen--miracles are happening all around us--and in that, we are being encouraged to trust that we're not alone. it's like someone is out there planting these little miracle nuggets of joy and love to help us not give up. and miracles are awesome, but what they do best is remind us to keep our hearts open to what we cannot yet see. there's still a purpose for us. even when the world has worn us down, yes, there's still hope for us.