If These Ears Could Only Speak [PHIL-OSOPHY]

This is the story of a dashing, spirited 11-year-old boy who has always chosen to be grateful, no matter what.

Our grandson, Gregory, hasn't had hearing in one of his ears since he was an infant. Throughout his early developing years, he's tolerated the hearing loss, ear pain, pus-filled drainage, and headaches with endurance and heart. This week, surgeons will perform their God-given, medical technological wonder work to make an incision there and graft this to that – and, hours later, somehow have Greg's hearing restored.

As a family, we've been through these agonizing and traumatic surgeries before with our Theo, and as a parent and grandparent, you never get accustomed to the deep emotions and worries that diffuse throughout.

The surgical specialists are called otorhinolaryngologists. Say that three times fast! I'll just use the shorter version of an ear, nose and throat or ENT surgeon. And I was thinking, while life has a tendency to bend and flex with our daily issues, it's times like Theo and Greg's surgeries that brings me back to my center and ground me.

And while I'll gladly ask you for your prayers and healing thoughts, for the doctors and nurses, Greg and for our family, I'm going to remind myself of something that Greg has been so good at: taking seriously that gratitude turns everything into a gift.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.