The healing uke..

Tudorp

Big guy with a lil' uke..
UU VIP
Joined
Mar 19, 2010
Messages
3,321
Reaction score
37
Location
East Texas
Ukes can certainly heal the spirit. For many years, I have felt a calling to do what I can do for miss understood kids. My daughter has this same calling. She is now a senior in HS, but had been working with a freshman girl that is troubled. My daughter ran downstairs a couple weeks ago yelling "Dad, we got to go.. right now..". She told me that she got a weird text from this troubled young girl. Basically just thanking her for being an only true friend. But my daughter read much more into it. I had to take my daughter's intuition at heart, and we took off to this troubled teens house. We basically crashed into her home, her mother unaware of what was going on, but her daughter was in her bedroom in trouble. She had tried to commit suicide. She had sliced her wrists open pretty bad, and "out of it". Myself being an EMT many years ago stepped in and got the bleeding to stop. But my daughter saved this young girl's life. We took this troubled girl in. Her mother is a single mother and thankful and pretty much let us take this young girl in as an adopted daughter and work with her. I sit in my chair and clumsily strum my uke the best I can with my physical issues, and noticed that this young girl would just sit there and watch and listen. She says "it speaks to me, and calms me.." I started teaching her some chords, and a few soothing riffs, and songs. I plan to get her her own uke now. The girl really loves it and wants to learn to play. She will strum on mine, and I can see her spirit change. It gives her something to do, and occupies her mind and spirit. We have noticed the past couple weeks that this young girl is changing, and wants to live. My wife, daughter and myself talk to her a lot, and she is begining to realize what a gift life is. The humble uke is a huge part of that, and is something this young girl is really gravitating to. The Uke seems to be healing this young girl's spirit. I am blessed, and thankful. I am thankful for my family, especially the gift my daughter seems to have in the desire to help others and help them heal from their troubles. I just thought I would share what a simple ukulele is doing for this young girl that just a few short weeks ago wanted to end her life. Now finding how precious of a gift it is.
 
Last edited:
Incredible story Tony. Beautiful. You have a wonderful gift of empathy mate, the Lord is using you both mightily. Thankyou for sharing this, it sure puts lots of things into perspective. You're an inspiration brother, God Bless you and the family.

What he said. And thanks so much for sharing the story.
 
There certainly is much more to it, but in the interests of a shorter read, condensed it greatly. This girl's mother has been at witts end and lost herself, not knowing what to do to help her daughter. Really good woman, just felt alone in her families problems herself. We have been helping her also with advice, and support. Without going into too much detail, this young girl is a molestation survivor. We are slowly getting in her head that she has value, and can't let a past define who she is. She really is a great kid. We are seeing a very loving, bubbly teenager side that we have been bringing out of her. It's in her already, we are just working to bring that loving kid to the surface. A sort of humorous note, we didn't mean to, but we scared her mother to death that night. We stormed her home. Myself and daughter rushed to the girls bed room, and God Bless my wife, she stayed back comforting her mother and letting her know we wern't home evaders, that we were there to help both her and her daughter. After she realized what was going on, and why we were there, a could feel a heavy weight lifting off her mother that help not only for the immediate issue, but help with the problems her and her daughter are dealing with. The mother has also been spending a lot of time at our home. It really puts things in perspective for us too. If for nothing else but to be thankful for having a family around.
 
Wow. (Wipes eyes . . . )

Sometimes I play at the Senior Center where I volunteer in an Adult Day Care program - Alzheimer's, stroke, dementia, etc.

I get the same reaction. Relaxing faces, soft smiles . . .

Well worth the time.

Keep up the Good Work, bruddah.

bobinde
 
The ukulele couldn't do it by itself......

"Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom" - Rumi
 
Wow, I think I'm in love with your family. What a wonderful story that sounds like it's going to have a happy ending. I have to read this through tears. A couple of years ago a young teen here in our town committed suicide and I think of her often. Especially on a lovely day or moment in life and I think "Your missing it". I did not know this young lady, her name was Faith. I wrote a song about her called "Faith and Despair" but never posted it. I play it often. It's a song that just came bubbling out of me when my youngest daughter came to me and told me of this girl. She was very upset that someone would do this.

I hope bringing the uke to this town like I have and now starting a club I will be able to reach some people who are in despair. My father committed suicide so I know the hurt. I didn't even really like the guy and it hurt. I have forgiven him.

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING WHO YOU ARE.
 
Wow. That was an amazing story to share. What a pure man you are. It also wasn't 100% the uke. It was you too, man. Bless you.
 
Tony I thank you not only for what do you and your family have done to save this young girl, but also for sharing this beautiful and inspiring story with us.

I have found the ukulele to be a very special instrument, and seems to attract special kind of people. Fellow ukulele players help me work through my cancer and had surgery earlier this year, And this is something that I will never ever forget.

I lost a sister to suicide back in 2007,so your story hit a personal note for me on many different levels.

Thank you,
Ivan
 
Your daughter is one incredibley wonderful and intuitive person. It took me a while to respond because I was so moved by your story. Thank you
 
Thanks folks, but it was really my daughter who saved this girl. We knew of her from things my daughter has said over the past several weeks, but at that point, never met her, or her mother. My daughter being able to "read between the lines" and her intuition with God's grace knew she was in trouble this particular night. After the dust settled, I felt horrible for her mother. It was obvious that this woman loved her daughter very much, but was simply lost herself as to how to help her. We literally scared this poor woman to death that night. It was very late, her daughter was supposed to be in bed. The woman was sitting by herself in her living room. At that point never meeting us, or my daughter. She didn't have a clue who we were, when we busted into her home. My daughter in the lead, me right on her heels. I know that had to be very scarry to her (I am a very large guy at 6'5" 350 lbs) storming through her home. The good Lord was with us, because you cant prepare for that sort of thing, and it was fluid, like it was an orchestrated mission. My wife intercepted the mother to keep her calm and assure her we were there to help, and myself and daughter straight to the young girls room to help her. From that night since, the young girl and mother both have been spending a lot of time with us. They both needed help, mostly in knowing they wern't alone in their problems they are dealing with. I am thankful that my daughter found them, and that we have the opertunity to make a difference for them both. It is so easy to take life for granted.
 
Last edited:
The world needs more people like you and your daughter!
 
If I could request good thoughts and prayers to this young girl. We had another emergency call to her home last night. It wasn't as severe as that first time, but the young girl suffered a panic attack, and her mother was lost and didn't know what to do for her. The young girl was crying hysterically saying she needed "Dad" (meaning me, as that has been now what she calls me. She has absolutly no relationship with her biological father). She does stay with us a lot, but also goes home and stays there about half the time. But at any rate, she apparently had a horrible dream, or night terrors that woke her up needing some assurance. I really do feel for this young girl. It is just not fair that she has had to have such a rough life at only 14 years old. But, she has been seeing some light at the end of the rainbow, that she has a long life that she can make happen for herself. She has been much better, but she does have her down times too still.
 
Aloha Bruddah Tony.
I knew god kept you on this earth for a reason....thanking him now big time.. you're a big man with a even bigger heart, I am glad that your daughter is following you and the great examples you and
your wife have set... I hope that this mother and daughter recovers with your family help and gets back on track with their lives... suicide is often the last alternative and cry for help, I'm Glad you and your daughter were there to save them.. I wish there are more caring people like you around this world... I know you have health issues as well and hope you get better soon... yes the ukulele is such a life saver... the real candy of life.. take care and keep being the wonderful person you are and spread the love of helping others...
 
Ditto on what Stan said. This girl is so lucky to have you and your family to give her comfort and hope.

As for the Uke yes it's a very special instrument. At this very moment I'm chasing the blues away by playing some of my favorite Ukes.
 
Very moving stories on the thread. My story is similar to Olarte. I have been a silent admirer of his journey. I am most of the way thru chemo for cancer, after radiation last spring and surgery in July. My poor guitar is too unwieldy to manage with my sore hands (mild neuropathy due to meds) but the uke has been a reliable healing companion. Without it I would feel bored and listless. Buying a King soprano recently over the forum gave me another boost. Over the last month I have been making Guitar Pro arrangements of celtic uke tunes in the campanella style - up to 25. Next year I will make them available to the community. People often remark how well I'm doing, and I tell them its due to finding meaningful things to do despite my limitations. Family, reading, ukes, and now arranging are those things for me. Until this is hopefully all over next Feb, thats the way it will stay.

Not to highjack. Just pointing out the uke heals the listener and the player.

Did I mention I have a strad uke on order? Another committment to my long future!
 
Last edited:
Thank you so much for sharing your story! It proves, once again, that concrete love can make such a difference in anther's life.... It takes courage sometimes to help another and I am so glad that you and your family "stepped up to the plate". We need to try and make a positive difference in the world....to try and leave the world a little better place then we found it..and you and your family are doing just that!
 
Top Bottom