"I know why she plays the piano backward. It's because she can't see the keys anyway so she don't need to look!"  -- age 10, Southern Illinois

"Oh no! Not another song!"  -- Age 7 (pastor's son reacting to congregation's request for an encore), Central Illinois

"I learned how to be a seeing guide. The Braille machine was cool!...Miss Audrey, you are a very good speller and Miss Laurel Jean, you are a very good speller in Braille!...Thank you for coming and teaching us about guide dogs. It was interesting and fun. Jessie (Miss Audrey's guide dog) was so helpful and so cute. I learned so much about Braille. It is fascinating. It was so much fun listening to you talk about your life and its funny stories. It was nice meeting you...Thank you for teaching us about Braille letters. It's really cool. I think I might try to learn it myself some day."  -- Third grade students, Charleston, South Carolina

"You rock, Laurel Jean!"  --  age 6, Southern IL

"Laurel Jean is going to read to us in Spanish today because she can't see print."  --  age 5, Charleston, SC

Laurel
"Thanks for the (Braille ABC's) card.  I know my ABC's, but I don't read 'em, I just sing 'em."  --  age 4, Southern Indiana

"You should be on the next 'American Idol'."  --  Age 11, Southern Illinois

"I really like (Miss Audrey's guide dog) Zack...We had some chickens once, but they went away.  We eat a lot of chicken."  --  age 6, Southern Indiana

"Does anyone ever call you 'the stick lady'?"  --  age 11, Southern IL

"I like your music.  My mommy told me your name. It's 'Blind'."  --  Age 4, Evansville, IN

"What would you do if you dropped your cane?...What if you dropped it in your house, and you didn't hear where it fell?...What if you dropped it on one of those water rides and it went way down under the water?...What if you dropped it and it broke in half?...What if when you went to the store to buy a new cane, the taxi drove right by you?...What if there weren't any bumps on the taxi, to tell you how much it cost?...What if there weren't any bumps on the new cane, to tell you how much it cost?...What would you do?  -- Very Concerned Kindergarten Class, Evansville, IN

Laurel Jean,
Thank you for the CD.  I enjoy it very much. --  Your friend, Emily, Vandalia, IL

Laurel Jean,
I think it would be hard to sing the ABC's in Braille.  I tried it with the Braille ABC card you gave me, and I had to sing slower because my hands kept getting caught on the bumps. --  Age 10, Southern IL

Laurel Jean,
Did you see Louis Braille's eyes after he went blind?  What did they look like?  --  age 8, Southern IL

"By the way, in case you didn't know, I am a kid."  --  Age 9, Southern IL

"How do you drive?" --  Age 9, Central IL

"Have you tried opening your eyes?"  --  age 5, Peoria, IL

"What if you took off those dark glasses?"  --  age 3, Central IL

Laurel Jean,
     I really like your new Christmas CD.  My favorite part is the horse.  --  Sara, age 9

Laurel Jean,
You are a good player and you are my best friend. -- age 8, Mattoon, IL

Hi Laurel Jean,
I like your cane. Can I have one? -age 5, Mattoon, IL

Laurel Jean,
Is it hard for you to see the piano? - age 6, Carlinville, IL

Dear Laurel Jean, 
I like it best when you play backwards. I think I can put my head under the piano and play "Brother John", but that's the best I can do. - age 9, Farina, IL

Hi Laurel Jean, 
I like your CD that I bought. My mommy lets me play it while I go to sleep so I can rest good. - age 8, Petersburg, IN

Laurel Jean, 
I want the CD that has the "Senior Citizen's Shuffle" on it. - age 7, North Vernon, IN

Hey! 
PLAY THAT RIGHT! - age 3, Mattoon, IL (while watching Laurel Jean play backwards)

Laurel Jean, 
I want the CD that has the dog on it - age 5, Findlay, IL

Hi. 
I've never heard you before, but I hope you sound like the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" - age 7, Jacksonville, IL (prior to one of Laurel Jean's concerts)

Laurel Jean, 
you are a real daredevil."  --  age 6, Rapid City, SD

Laurel Jean, 
are there little people inside the piano?"  --  age "almost seven", Moweaqua, IL

From sixth-grade students, St. Paul's Lutheran School, Concordia, MO 

"I think Laurel Jean came to see us to teach us that God makes each of us different, but He gives each of us a purpose on earth to spread God's Word."

"Laurel Jean showed us that even though she's blind her personality is like us and she isn't any different."

Laurel Jean is a hero! I hope she comes back!"

"Laurel Jean thinks of blindness as something that is good! She does many things with her blindness that other people can't because she sees things other people can't."

"I thought it was funny that (when she was little) Laurel Jean didn't know that the other people in her church didn't memorize the hymns. Her mom told her they had books.

"We kept forgetting that Laurel Jean was blind. When she played the piano backwards and made jokes, sometimes we forgot to laugh because we forgot she was blind." 

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for coming to our class and explaining about Braille. It is neat how you can write so fast! You get around really good for being blind. If you were a kid, we wouldn't even know you are blind. -- From Mrs. Perry's 4th-grade class, Booneville, IN
 

Letters From Southern Illinois Second-Graders (and their teacher)

Dear Laurel Jean
...The students still talk about you....I am confident you created an awareness in their minds and hearts that will leave an impression for the rest of their lives.  Thank you so much again for your willingness to use your life in such a way.
    Serving      Him through teaching,  Mrs. Smith

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for playing the piano.  I really like when you turned around.  I never knew that blind people could do a lot.  I hope you come again.
    Your friend,  Isaac

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for coming to our school.  My favorite part was when you played the piano.  The things you use when you are blind are neat.  I would of never knew that blind people could do that.  I hope I can see you again.
    Your friend,  Chloe

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for teaching us about blind people.  I liked when you played the piano.  I never seen you play the piano like that.
    Your friend,  Keeley

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for coming to our school.  I really liked when you played the piano backwards.  I can write in cursive.  Can you write in cursive?  I liked learning about blind people.  Thank you.
    Your friend,  Jordan

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for playing the piano.  I really liked the "Charlie Brown song".  I learned Braille is fun to read with.  I hope you can come back.
    Your friend,  Sam

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for playing the piano.  You are very talented at playing the piano.  I never knew you could play the piano.
    Your friend,  Dawson

Dear Laurel Jean,>
Thank you for teaching us about blind people.  I liked "Charlie Brown song" the best.  I liked learning that blind people can do whatever they want to do.
    Your friend,  Klayton

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for teaching us about blind people.  I liked when you (writing with the Braille writer) raced Laura (writing with a pencil).  I liked learning about the Braille writer.
    Your friend,  Alyssa

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for teaching us about blind people.  I liked when you raced Laura.  Blind people can do anything.
    Your friend, Colton

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for coming to our school.  I didn't know blind people could play the piano.  My dad has a typewriter, too.
    Your friend,  Jeffrey

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for teaching us about blind people.  I liked backwards.  I liked learning about the calculator (abacus)
    Your friend,  Ravyn

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for coming.  I liked the part when you played the piano.  I liked the story about Zack (Miss Audrey's Guide Dog).  Zack is a neat dog.  I have a dog that could be a guide dog.
    Your friend,  Jacob

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for teaching us.  The "Charlie Brown song" is best.  I liked learning about the Braille writer.
    Your friend, Brandi

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for playing the piano.  I liked it when you played the piano backwards.  I never knew that a blind person could play the piano.
    Your friend,  Mannie

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for playing the piano.  I really liked it when you played the piano backwards.  Thank you for the Braille (ABC's) card.  I did know that it said, "This is Braille. Can you read it?"  Come again soon.
    Ryan

Dear Laurel Jean,
I thank you for coming to our school.  I loved how you played "the Charlie Brown song", "Oh When The Saints Go Boogyin' In", and the song when you sang.  I liked it when we raced.  That was fun.  I have a dog that is almost the same breed as Zack.
    Your friend, Laura

Dear Laurel Jean,
Thank you for coming to our school and playing the piano.  You are good at playing it.  I really liked when you were playing the piano backwards.  I never knew that blind people were so smart like you.  You are nice, too.  You're the best.
    Your friend,  Shawnee
 

Laurel Jean welcomes questions and comments from God's children of all ages. 

...Jesus said, "Allow the little children, and don’t forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these." (Matthew 19:14)