It was standing room only for the 610th meeting of the Rotary Club of Dixie Sunrise. Former
member Larry Stansifer brought a bucket-full of wit, a belly full of laughs, and inspiring insight into his life of blindness. He began by sharing with us that he considered his blindness a privilege. Later in the meeting, when asked why, he explained, almost reverently, how beautiful it was to hear waves lapping against the side of a boat; or how neat it was on a warm spring day in a pastoral setting to hear the sound of a butt splashing as it fell down in a muddy field; or the rare feel of the sun on his face in Seattle.
Larry was diagnosed with bilateral retinal blastomas and lost both eyes as a very young child. He spoke of his privilege of having parents who refused to treat his blindness as a handicap. Recalling the day in Montana when he asked his father, "What is a mountainside?" he told us that his father stopped the truck and told him to "get out and start walking." After hiking a ways uphill, his father yelled to Larry to come back down before his nervous mother "had kittens." He also related the story of being out in a small boat on the ocean with his father when his father asked, "how far do you think it is to the shore?" Larry replied he thought it sounded like about 300 yards. The next thing he heard was a SPLASH and his father yelling back to him, "See you there!"
Larry spent his career as a certified Master Mechanic for BMW and Porche. He described how
he hand-made his own gauges so he could feel them, and routinely performed any and every type of mechanic work including engine rebuilds. "Picture this!" he quiped, "A blind guy drilling holes in your $100,000 dollar car to install ski racks. It brings new meaning to 'measure twice, cut once'."
Larry also shared some of the details about life with a guide dog. With deep emotion, he related to us the process the dogs go through from birth and selection, to socialization with 4-H children, to final training by guide dog school.
We had some special guests that made the morning even better. Mike Theuer of Theuer Orthodontics and Annette Wiggins of Bella Murus joined our fun. We were delighted to see retired member Luther Anderson back for a visit. He shared the story of one of his blind parishoners who's guide dog would get up when the sermon was over, but sometimes stood up too early. Without skipping a beat, Larry replied, "In my experience the dogs are very punctual. Your sermon probably went long."
Larry, thanks for making our day brighter!
Paul Chrisco has been proposed as a new member. Call President Gooch or any board member if you want to comment over this next week.
See you then!
President Gooch
member Larry Stansifer brought a bucket-full of wit, a belly full of laughs, and inspiring insight into his life of blindness. He began by sharing with us that he considered his blindness a privilege. Later in the meeting, when asked why, he explained, almost reverently, how beautiful it was to hear waves lapping against the side of a boat; or how neat it was on a warm spring day in a pastoral setting to hear the sound of a butt splashing as it fell down in a muddy field; or the rare feel of the sun on his face in Seattle.Larry was diagnosed with bilateral retinal blastomas and lost both eyes as a very young child. He spoke of his privilege of having parents who refused to treat his blindness as a handicap. Recalling the day in Montana when he asked his father, "What is a mountainside?" he told us that his father stopped the truck and told him to "get out and start walking." After hiking a ways uphill, his father yelled to Larry to come back down before his nervous mother "had kittens." He also related the story of being out in a small boat on the ocean with his father when his father asked, "how far do you think it is to the shore?" Larry replied he thought it sounded like about 300 yards. The next thing he heard was a SPLASH and his father yelling back to him, "See you there!"
Larry spent his career as a certified Master Mechanic for BMW and Porche. He described how
he hand-made his own gauges so he could feel them, and routinely performed any and every type of mechanic work including engine rebuilds. "Picture this!" he quiped, "A blind guy drilling holes in your $100,000 dollar car to install ski racks. It brings new meaning to 'measure twice, cut once'."Larry also shared some of the details about life with a guide dog. With deep emotion, he related to us the process the dogs go through from birth and selection, to socialization with 4-H children, to final training by guide dog school.
We had some special guests that made the morning even better. Mike Theuer of Theuer Orthodontics and Annette Wiggins of Bella Murus joined our fun. We were delighted to see retired member Luther Anderson back for a visit. He shared the story of one of his blind parishoners who's guide dog would get up when the sermon was over, but sometimes stood up too early. Without skipping a beat, Larry replied, "In my experience the dogs are very punctual. Your sermon probably went long."
Larry, thanks for making our day brighter!
Paul Chrisco has been proposed as a new member. Call President Gooch or any board member if you want to comment over this next week.
See you then!
President Gooch
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