Hey Guys~
So I hope my last post on Patrick Henry helped my readers get back on track with my review of the book, I Am Potential. I realize it had been a while since I've posted on the book so I wanted to give a slight summary before I continued my analysis. For those of you that are new readers, you can always start at the beginning of my analysis by searching under "Patrick Henry" as a tag.
In my last review, we were exploring Patrick Henry's love for music. Not only did he have a talent for music, but this became an undeniable bond between father and son. Like I said, it was a love they both had and John Henry taught him everything he knew. Watching his son grow, however, he began to realize he didn't have the experience needed to take his son to the next level. So, his next teacher was Diane, a fellow blind person. Her blindness was never considered a disadvantage, but a advantage. That way Patrick was able to concentrate on the music rather than his technique.
At the age of 10, though, she suggested John Henry find someone new; she had done all she could for his son and couldn't wait to see what his future brought. Over the next few months, Patrick Henry struggled through his music lessons. As his father had predicted, the next teacher did his best to "correct" his skills, never taking into account the limitations of his disability. In the end, that teacher didn't work out leaving the Hughes family to wonder what was next for their son.
"Finding someone new wasn't easy and the search dragged on; then, as always when it's most important exactly the right thing happens," Patrick Henry says.
But God already had that figured out. As a youngster, Patrick and John often went to the mall and played on the more expensive pianos in the stores. He wanted to make sure that his son got the experience of playing on the real thing. During one of those visits, unbeknownst to them, a piano named Ms. Henda (I apologize if I've spelled the name incorrectly, I have never heard this name before) listened intently, saying that is she ever got the chance to teach such a talented young man, she would love to do so.
Years later, the two were back again searching for advice on where to find a new music teacher. Guess who was in the store- Ms. Henda. Immediately, she agreed to teach Patrick Henry, understanding the adaptions that needed to be made.
"Let's do what we have to do to get it done," Sure, the music wasn't exactly the same. But he enjoyed it just the same.
As their lessons progressed, she continued to be amazed at his accomplishments. She would give him tasks, assuming it would take a long time for him to learn; but he would be back the next time ready for more. He lived for the music, loved spending every waking moment at the piano.
I think his father puts it best when he says, "I think the litmus test for passion is how you react when your passion is taken from you,"
During times like his back surgery, he wasn't the same without his music or being able to play. But he came back stronger than ever
