The Gift of Music.

Here I am at the beautiful Steinway in the chapel of The Village At Summerville, my first stop to share the sounds of the 2018 Holiday season. It was several years ago, during an engagement in this same chapel, when I first got to know this instrument.

I had just arrived with my own digital gigging piano and sound system. As I prepared to unload my gear for setup and a sound check, a gracious southern lady introduced herself to me and said, "Oh, I do hope you're going to play my Steinway!" Apparently, she had donated the instrument to the chapel when she first moved to The Village. She was very proud of her piano, and rightly so!

Never missing an opportunity to enjoy a well-maintained Steinway, I sat down at the piano for a few minutes and was absolutely delighted to oblige my new friend. It is always a joy for me to deliver "The Message in Music" on this amazing instrument, and to experience the warm welcome of everyone in attendance of my presentations. My thanks to the residents and staff of The Village At Summerville for their ongoing, heartfelt prayers and support on behalf of my music and ministry!

Giving Thanks.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am so grateful for the open minds and hearts of sighted tour guides throughout the Lowcountry area.  Here, my BFF Audrey Gunter (President of Dixie Land Guide Dog Users), her guide dog Jessie and I are pictured in front of Fort Sumter Tours with Chief Interpreter Paula Ogden-Muse. We were blessed to spend a crisp, November morning with interpreters from Fort Sumter and Fort Moultirie, speaking and answering questions on the subjects of Sensitivity and Awareness relating to the blindness community.

This meeting was just one of many opportunities presented to my colleagues and me in our preparations for Top Dog-Charleston, 2019. We look forward to the January arrival of our 150-plus human guests. The majority of our workshop attendees are blind and will be traveling independently with their guide dogs or long, white canes. People are planning to come early and stay late in order to enjoy the myriad of tourist attractions in and around the "Holy City" of Charleston. Thanks to the genuine enthusiasm and support of folks like Paula, Our guests can be assured of a truly positive experience as they explore this beautiful city!

White Cane Day, My Personal Perspective

Clear skies and bright sunlight peeked through a welcome canopy of shade trees--live oak and pine, willow and bamboo, dogwood and pecan--as the road curved ahead. It was a beautiful, autumn day here in Charleston,South Carolina, perfect for a walk down the quiet, little streets of my neighborhood.

"Hey, Miss Sylvia," I called. A retired nurse who watches out for everyone, Sylvia is a true matriarch. My Lab Sonny and I pass by her house every day on our walks, and I've grown accustomed to listening for her to be out on her front porch. A distinctive squeak in one of the wheels on her car alerts me whenever she is driving down the street, and I wave at her as she calls to me or honks her horn in greeting.

"Hey, baby," came Sylvia's reply. "how you doin'?"

"All right. How about you?"

"Oh, I'm blessed. My knees is givin' me pain, but I've got to keep goin'." Miss Sylvia's voice always lilts with the authentic Gullah sound of the Lowcountry.

While  my neighbor and I chatted, I gave my rambunctious yellow Lab (who is soooooo not a guide dog) the command to "sit," keeping him occupied with kibble from my pocket. Sylvia and I wished each other a good day. Then having an afterthought, Miss Sylvia called to me again, "Hey, Laurie!" (Even eight-hundred-plus miles from home, I'll never get away from that darned family nickname, "Laurie.")

"Yes, Miss Sylvia?"

"Do you know if the garbage man came yet?"

"Well, I haven't heard him, but if you'll wait a minute, I can tell you." I went on to explain my technique of checking the garbage cans by tapping them with my long, white cane to avoid touching them. If the garbage cans consistently  echo with a hollow sound, I know that they are empty, that the garbage truck has come. A couple of thumps on a couple of nearby cans provided the answer. "No, ma'am! He has not been by here yet!"

"Oh, good! I can get my garbage out! Thank you, baby! You have a blessed one now!"

Since 1964, October 15 has been observed in the United States as White Cane Safety Day. In 2016, President Barak Obama proclaimed October 15 as "Blind Americans Equality Day," encouraging all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs." The entire month of October is often recognized as "Blindness Awareness Month," "Eye Care Awareness Month" and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. On many occasions, I join ranks with others to raise awareness on behalf of the blindness community. This particular day however, my heart was filled with a sense of dignity, contentment and exhilaration that simply could not be matched by any public display of recognition. Yes, on that beautiful, autumn day, my sighted neighbor looked beyond my physical blindness and saw my ability to help her. In fact, I daresay that Miss Sylvia has become so used to my presence in our neighborhood, she didn't even stop to consider my blindness at all.

I could write volumes about my journey through life as an avid cane user: my choice not to use a guide dog; my adopted pet dog with special needs who lopes along beside me every day as I navigate our walks with my cane, the way that I see my extensive, nationwide cane travel experience as something between a dance and a sport, the pride that I feel to be an independent cane traveler and my gratitude to God for His gift of Faith which has allowed me to achieve such personal independence. Today--every day--I celebrate my life as an independent woman who happens to be blind.

"Jesus replied, ""'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)

Today, I honor my walk with God and my long, white cane by just being real, being a neighbor, loving my neighbor and giving thanks for my neighbors--near and far, blind and sighted--who see me as the unique, whole person that God created me to be.

Thank God, and thank you, for your ongoing prayers and support. A special thanks also goes to Katie, the Aira agent on the other end of the phone, who assisted me long distance in taking the above picture. Stay tuned for more posts like this one. Until next time, God bless you; and, keep His Song in your heart.

© 2018 by Laurel Jean Walden

My "Deer Country" Adventure.

Here in South Carolina, hunting season begins rather early, in mid-August. As I was talking with friends about their plans to go deer hunting this year, I couldn't help remembering one of my own adventures in "Deer Country."

If you are on the road much at night, you probably know that deer can suddenly appear on the scene, endangering themselves as well as travelers.  I grew up in East Central Illinois "deer country", well aware of this reality.  In fact, my driver and friend, Carolyn and I were just recently talking about the time the deer hit us as we drove from Illinois into Kentucky. On a lighter note, though, I never could have dreamed that one of these critters would "steal the show" from me in broad daylight.

When I was in my mid-teens, I received a call from the program manager of a Central Illinois area resort, asking about my rates and availability to present dinner music on a regular basis.  The manager explained that the resort had just purchased a player grand piano. A decision was to be made, whether to hire a house pianist, or simply to use the player piano to entertain guests.  When I never received a follow-up call, I was fairly certain of the final decision.

About a year later, I was planning my first professional photo shoot at a grand piano. Remembering the contact from the resort, I called to ask if I could schedule a photo shoot there.  The manager agreed, and we set a time when the dining area was closed to the public.

My photographer and I walked into the establishment and found the piano in the lounge area.  Seated at the grand was "Old Buck", the manmade likeness of a deer, stuffed, life-sized and wearing a tuxedo.  A passing employee explained enthusiastically, "Oh, yeah! The deer plays the piano.  We wire his hooves to the keyboard and put a disk in the player grand.  It's really great!"

We respectfully placed Old Buck in a chair out of the way, returning him to his seat of honor after the photo shoot.  When my photographer left, I asked my mom to take some pictures with her camera. This photo op was just too good to pass up!

Old Buck and I talked things over and parted friends.  If it meant being a novelty in a smoke-filled lounge, I really do think that he was the best man for the job.

As I write, we here in the United States are celebrating Labor Day. I thank God for all who work to keep our country going and growing strong. I am grateful for God's guidance in my own life and work. One of my favorite Scriptures, Ephesians 2:10 reads, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them." There is no doubt in my mind that He has a sense of humor, and that Divine Humor never ceases to keep me humble.

Stay tuned for more posts like this one. Until next time, God bless you and keep His Song in your heart!