I have had to cancel gigs due to having Cervical Spine Surgery. After my latest doctor visit I was given the green light to expand my daily activities so I decided to play a gig at one of my very favorite places. This is an Assisted Living venue I have played monthly for the last 3 years.

It has been over 2 months since i was there last and yesterday my wife and I packed up the car(she has to do all the heavy lifting for me still) and off we went. When we got to the place we unpacked the car and she parked the car while I wheeled in my cart with all the equipment on it. Well, what a surprise I got when I entered the room - it was packed with folks who instantly stood up and cheered and applauded!!! The even had a huge sign hung that said "Welcome Back Deane".

I have to admit - it took a few moments for me to recover and even be able to speak. Sometimes we just don't think about or realize how much our nursing home people appreciate what we do for them. I wish my wife had been there to see it all and take pictures. When she walked in she thought I had hurt myself and wanted to know what was wrong with me - you know the tears.

Just thought you all might be interested in a really cool story.

Deane