June 17, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. Bradley Walker.

As we get old, we get debilitated and we slow down. And many times we complain about it. But last evening while watching television, I realized that rather than complain, we should be thanking our lucky stars that we were able to run and talk and eat for most of our lives. While flipping channels, I spotted a Gospel Hour on PBS, which I thought unusual, so I watched and what I saw amazed me. A fairly young man was singing and singing well. He was in a motorized wheel chair and his hands were turned back in peculiar fashion. And he was very skinny. At first I thought he has cerebral palsy but in an interview, he mentioned that his parents were told early in his life that he had a rare early type of MS and that he would be a vegetable. His parents did not believe the doctor, fortunately, because he is now on national TV and makes his living singing gospel and country songs. He was born and raised in a small town in northern Alabama, where he still lives. The group of musicians playing and singing with him were good and their arrangements are jazzy. But looking after him must requite full time helpers. He mentioned spoke gratefully of his Mother who encouraged his singing and now he attends the same Baptist Church, which always had an extensive music program. But he puts us all to shame. Every comment he made told about the gift of life and how fortunate he has been throughout his life. Now I must Google his name so I can find out more about him. Of course, we were both brought up singing gospel songs so we enjoyed his singing but mostly we enjoyed his spirit. He is a remarkable young man and I was grateful for PBS for putting him on TV.