We’ve been talking about community acceptance and inclusiveness lately, and we always need more of that sort of thing. Here’s my contribution to that discussion, for whatever it might be worth to you…
Forty years ago, I was going through perhaps the worst time of my life.
Having searched high and low for a full time teaching job for five long years, and being unable to find one, and also having a mega toothache to boot? I was sacked out on the couch, totally spent.
As I said, it was a rough month.
Being born with multiple disabilities, particularly with walking, speech, and hearing problems, I was a bit of an over-achieving, but defensive loner. I've tried never to compare my disabilities with anyone else's, but I'm sure that every individual who has disabilities has gone through similar situations in a world that even today (and perhaps, ESPECIALLY today!) keeps failing to understand why some people are not physically, mentally, or emotionally perfect, or who are in some other way, different than they are.
It's incredible, but some people still look at disabilities or differences as being God's punishment. Some people still tease or harass the disabled, and particularly those with hidden handicaps that may not be readily obvious to others. When they asked that I sit up front in school so I could hear or lip-read better, my parents had to endure comments like "Gary is just immature", "He seeks attention", "He only hears what he wants to hear", "He's a daydreamer", "Why don't you put him in a special school?"
School, by the way, was all too often, pure-D Hell for me, from the first day of class, to my last day as a senior. Too many sick days, too much drama, too many put-downs and teasing, and more trials than I knew how to deal with, all contributed to my having a very challenging school experience.
But there were also a fair number of people who believed in me. There were occasionally, a few teachers and students, and especially and always, my parents, who gave me just enough positive stuff so that I would NOT turn out like the roughly 75% or so of those (statistically) who end up being incarcerated in reformatories or institutions, who happen to endure disabilities or having "differences".
Indeed, I even ended up going to college and graduating cum laude, near the top of my class, but at that point, I had trouble finding a full time teaching job. The state itself was reluctant to allow anyone having a speech problem to be either a teacher or an attorney back then. (Laws protecting handicapped rights were still a few years away) I searched for that teaching job year after year, meanwhile serving as a substitute teacher, tutor, photographer, and of course, as a musician. Financially I was OK. Emotionally however, was another story. Those employment rejections, even with my exemplary qualifications, were very hard to take. The parents always told me not to worry, and that God would use me, and if I felt rejected, I should feel good, because Jesus had also been rejected. That was good advice.
Yes indeed, God uses people in ways that they never think would be possible. In August 1977, with nowhere else to go, I turned myself over to my faith, and it has never failed me. I shortly would have my full time special education teaching job. That would allow me to experience many successes with my students, and not too many years later, I would then become "Guitar Guy Gary" to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. That led to worldwide fame, writing many columns for a variety of publications, and many speaking engagements by the guy who was once told that if the employer could not understand his speech, how could the kids ever understand him?
So if you ever get down, or feel troubled by life, or circumstances that seem beyond your control, remember that the kindness that you extend to others can ripple endlessly outward for generations to come. Think of others beyond yourself and you will have much greater peace of mind.
A kind word can change the world.
Inclusive acceptance can change the world.
We all know these things, of course, but why do we keep forgetting them?
Why I share here today is so that hopefully some folks may be inspired and encouraged by God and love, and not by Gary.
It's not always about the banjo..