Book excerpt: On a cloudless spring day nearly three years after Cal and Michele met, they stood before a preacher and Cal promised to love Michele and to give her everything. Soon after, they began an almost fairy-tale existence of wedded bliss, complete with a white picket fence, two cats in the yard, and a perfect family-including the baby girl Michele always wanted. They had carefully planned and prepared for the arrival of their daughter, Lourdess, whose name means "miracles of healing." Although she entered the world perfect, the standard hearing test mandated by the state produced spirit-crushing results. To their shock and disbelief, their wonderful little angel had profound hearing loss. Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird?: The Miracles of Hearing, Family, and Love shares the touching story of how they got through the trials of having a deaf child, including the natural grieving process they experienced upon learning the news. Even though they wondered about her future, their strong personal relationship helped them overcome the stress that destroys some marriages burdened with caring for a special-needs child. The toughest tasks involved working with service systems and professionals who were guiding them through the process. Through it all, they had each other and the knowledge that God was there for them, always. Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird? reminds us that love always trusts, hopes and perseveres but it never fails. As Cal and Michele yearned for a miracle, a striking and poignant series of events would reveal a miracle no one saw coming.