View From the Chair ... by JoAnne Leach

     I can't begin to tell you how blessed I felt on Friday, October 7, to slide out of our van and board the Toronto bound bus (thank you, Larry, for thinking of the stool!) with the rest of the Peterborough Temple Songsters to begin our 'Journey to the Rock'.

     Only 2 weeks previous I had injured my good leg for the second time in less than 4 weeks and was convinced I wouldn't be a part of this wonderful trip with the others. How can one, hardly able to walk or even climb stairs, take such a trip and not end up being a burden to my fellow songsters? By God's grace alone I was able to travel with them and create some special (and unique) memories that I will cherish for years to come. Allow me to tell what our trip was like ... from the chair.

     When you lose your ability to walk well, the shortest distances seem long ... even with a cane. So when thinking of the airport and all the sight-seeing that was planned for us in Nfld., the thought of a wheelchair was very welcoming. I must admit though, I think those airport ones are made for very small people ... either that or they gave me a child's size by mistake! And did you ever notice people in wheelchairs are easy targets for holding this and that.. "you're going to be here for a minute? Can I leave this here with you?" Where did they think I was going? You push me ... you park me ... that's kinda how it works. Don't get me wrong ... I loved it!!! I was at their mercy and very happy to be there. We even had our picture taken with a Shopsy's hot dog!!

     Now, the flight to St. John's was relatively smooth with only a few periods of turbulence ... right at meal time, of course. (Was that chicken or tuna salad?) What a view from the plane as we flew into Halifax. The trees looked like they were on fire with their autumn colors. What a treat??

     After some prompting from one of the flight attendants, having found out who we were, we got some practicing in while we were stopped in Halifax as we serenaded those still aboard. We even ventured a verse of 'I'll fly away' at the request of a gentleman sitting beside Marie. Unfortunately Doug missed this time since he was checking out the flight plan with the pilot.

     That being done, we continued on our way and finally arrived in Newfoundland around 6:00 p.m.(their time). Once nice thing about being the last off the plane is that your luggage actually gets to the pick-up spot almost before you do. I had to remember though, the next time I asked Doug to "just wheel me into the corner" to be out of the way and wait, I specify which way I'd like to face!

     Many of the St. John's Temple Songsters were at the airport waiting to courier us over to the hall for a delicious supper of homemade soups and pies and a night of 'getting to know you'.

     When I arrived with my group at the hall, I was proudly shown the wheelchair they had for me. Talk about the Cadillac of wheelchairs - even equipped with brakes! I was very excited but thought I'd wait to try it out. We were taught some very interesting information that night - Brian was keen to learn about 'twacking', much to Lesley's dismay. Many of us were also honored to become Honorary Newfoundlanders. (Just ask any Songster the question - Be ye a Newfoundlander?) I have to admit though, I was particularly thankful at the moment of 'swearing in' of the moratorium on cod fishing. Can you imagine kissing a REAL COD?

     The evening ended with a trip to our billets and plans to meet back at the hall at 9:15 a.m. Sat. morning for a full day of sight seeing.

     Have you ever noticed how far apart the stairs are on a school bus? It makes you wonder how the little 4 & 5 year olds climb them? Well, that was the challenge of the day for me on Sat. but thanks to the strong men in our Songsters, by the end of the day we had the system of 'pulling, shoving & carrying' down to a fine science. Let's just say it wasn't a time for me to be self conscious in any way.

     Our days of sight seeing were planned by Roadi-Ann (the Songster leader at St. John's) who also doubled as our tour guide. We enjoyed a bus tour (complete with commentary) of city sights before we traveled up to Signal Hill, the highest point of St. John's. It overlooks the city itself, the Bottomless Lake (it has a story all it's own), St. John's harbor and narrows and of course the Atlantic ocean. I was excited to be able to take in the view from all angles thanks to the wheelchair from the hall.

     Doug and Brian pushed me up the rather steep incline to the base of the tower where there are several look out points. Expressing my concern about coming DOWN the steep hill, Doug reminded me I need not worry since this chair was equipped with brakes. Whew, what a relief! Not wanting to be a burden, I told Doug just to park me at one lookout and have a look around. I didn't see him again until we were all aboard the bus and waiting for him. In the meantime Brian & Murray pushed me to various spots and in doing came to find out that the brake were reclining handles and not brakes at all. I wasn't so confident of the trip downhill after that point. I think we got some interesting pictures.

     We continued on our tour of the area with a stop at an old Anglican church which I am told was big and beautiful inside. It was not wheelchair accessible. There was time for some downtown shopping for those interested before we enjoyed some down east fish & chips at the Big R Restaurant.

     Lesley and Brian joined Doug and I for a quiet lunch downstairs while the rest of the brigade ate upstairs. Funny though, Doug still ended up with Amanda's bill. After lunch there was free time at the mall before our 4:00 p.m. mall performance. Lyn, Les and I re-arranged some store displays while we got used to maneuvering the wheelchair around. Do you know how shaky a portable stage can feel from a wheelchair? Especially when the rest of the Songsters are swaying to 'I've been changed'. Keith took good care of me though.

     After the mall performance it was back to the hall for supper and our evening program with the St. John's Temple band. I was wheeled right down the aisle to the side of the platform where I took my seat before the brigade came in. Actually Sat. night I was in my seat almost a full ten minutes before the program. It was a perfect time to do a head count - it's the ACSM coming through! There were close to 200 there. The audience seemed to appreciate the selections and gave the skit 'If I were not a Peterborough Temple Songster' a standing ovation. Is this enough to spur them on to Broadway?

     Thanksgiving Sunday was full for us with both morning and evening services and a special program at the senior's residence in the afternoon. The billets Doug & I stayed with actually pulled carrots for our thanksgiving dinner. What a feast! It's amazing how uniforms shrink so quickly after a meal, isn't it?

     The Lord really blessed our time together in His house on Sunday and during the evening service many found their way to the Mercy Seat. How frustrating it can be not to be physically able to kneel and pray with someone. How wonderful to know God hears our prayers just where we are. What a beautiful end to the day! Keith led our brigade in a "Hallelujah Windup". Although I couldn't march with them, Bob kept me company on the platform. My heart was so thankful to be there to witness it all ... The Lord truly is so good.

Peterborough Temple Songster, JoAnne Leach