@johnbishop Thanks, John. Wayne and his wife Kathleen have sung with the community band for many years, and I've always enjoyed performing with them. They would often sing patriotic or Broadway show tunes. I have learned a lot from Wayne. During the time I was very anxious about going through my spine surgery, and I was loosing the ability to hold my arms up and control my paint brushes, I reached out to Wayne for his compassion and advice. We also went to hear Wayne sing soon after that, and he took my hand and asked me to dance. That was a night when he was singing with a jazz band doing songs from the 40's. He had recently met with baseball legend Tommy Johns, and they had discussed the fear and anxiety of the pioneering surgery that had saved his baseball career and the careers of many other major league pitchers. Here is a little bit of Wayne's advice to me.

"Was I scared? Heck yes, I was and still feel the fear when I think of what might have been, if not for a centimeter or two in either direction. This is a challenge for you, testing your confidence and your belief in what it is that you are so brilliantly gifted to do. Things do happen for a reason and we often don’t recognize what those reasons are until well after the dust settles.

Be persistent with the neurosurgeon at your appointment and ask the hard questions. We have to place our trust in others in such matters. We also have to trust that God’s plan for us is something that we can accept. It is a new day of medicine and having just shaken the hand of Tommy John who won 164 games in the Big Leagues after the surgery, (he had won 124 prior), I feel confident that me meeting him and you reaching out to me in a matter of a few days was no coincidence.

Think positively about a pain-free existence as the prolific and wonderful artist that you are and will continue to be for years to come."

Hugs,
Wayne