LEARNING FROM THE MENTALLY,
     & PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED!!!

     Of all of the life changing experiences I have had with 
with my Master Chair Caning etc. Knowledge is mentoring
(PRO BONO)  the mentally, & physically challenged, (NOT
HANDICAPPED) & will do so for the rest of my life!!!
     When you begin mentoring the mentally, & physically
challenged little do you comprehend, & realize that you,
yes you are going to become a very, very special student!!!
     You are going to be taught life's lessons from a completely
different book which you have never opened, seen, or read!!!
     It will be an extremely challenged read full of sur-
prises which will absolutrly amaze, & spell bound
you!!!
     You will experience all of the completely raw un-
scripted emotions from your very first day at work
on the J O B!!!
     And the completely raw, unscripted emotions will run
from that first greeting with aprehension in their voices with
a smile on their faces, to a frown, to absolute frustration,
& more, & a chorus of I cannot do this to complete joy, &
laughter when they finish running Step #1 on a Hand Caned
Chair!!!
     I had a friend named Henry whom was a chronic complainer
so I thought I would take him along the next time I went to see
Dick to watch Dick Hand Cane A Chair!!!
     Dick was completely blind!!!  At the ripe age of 54 Dick went
to bed with his complete normal vision, & awoke completely
100% blind the next morning when he awoke!!!  I cannot comprehend
or imagine what my reaction to an event of this magnitude would be!!!
     On that particular day Dick was doing a Lincoln Rocker which
had been coverted from Hand Cane to Machine Cane!!!
     What I (we) witnessed that day I will remember to my dying day!!!
It forever changed Henry's disposition as a chronic complainer!!!
     I had been nudged (more than gently) years ago that they didn't
want my help, & didn't need my help!!!
     The tools Dick used to do this particular Machine Cane job I
had never seen anyone use before doing a Machine Cane job!!!
Dick had removed the spline, & now he was getting ready to re-
install the Machine Cane in the back of that Lincoln Rocker!!!
     Dick had a hammer, four (4) nails, and a uniquely modified
yardstick the likes of which I had never seen!!!
     This was indeed getting very interesting!!!
     Dick took that creative, notched yardstick, & began measuring
the back of that Lincoln Rocker horizontally, & then vertically,
then drove the four nails in their appropriate places, and then he
hung that machine cane on those four nails, & proceeded to install
that machine cane into that Lincoln Rocker!!!  It was absolutely striaght 
in both directions as well as taunt in both directions as if a sighted
professional Chair Caner had installed that machine cane job!!!
     Needless to say, I was left absolutely speechless, & then some!!!
     And so was my friend Henry!!!
     Now, back to my friend Henry!!!  I never, ever heard him complain
about anything again in my presence!!!
     To be continued!