Several years later when I started experiencing balance issues myself and had even fallen several times, I prayed for guidance on the next step in my journey with MS. That was when The Lord led me to Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD).  I read over their application process and decided to at least send the initial inquiry to see if they felt I was a good candidate. They decided to meet with me to discuss my physical issues and sent me the complete application.  The application was long and very thorough with personal information, doctor’s forms for the several specialists I see and personal references to be filled out. The application process was long, and the paperwork was significant but, the journey has been amazing! 

The Path to an Assistance Dog

In December 2021, I met with the SSD application committee, and after discussing the need for the dog to always be with me, even on the stage; they decided that I was a good candidate, and I officially went on their waiting list.  

The waiting period can be anywhere from 2 to 4 years because balance dogs have a lot to learn. Not only must they be able to help you balance while walking, but they also pick up things for you, open doors, pull you as you ascend stairs and give resistance as you descend them, alert others when you fall and accompany you on your scooter to help you get where you’re going as a ‘personal valet’. But most importantly they must be large enough to match your stature. Being 5’6” I would never have thought that I would almost be too large for the breeds they work with.  I just got under the wire with needing my 70-pound hero! Also, once SSD feels they have dogs to meet the criteria you need in a service dog, it can take several meetings with numerous dogs until they find your perfect pooch.

In February, 2024; I had my first meeting with my boy.  His name was Carpenter, and he was amazing!  Not only was he attentive and sweet but I sensed that this was going to be a heavenly match. Again we discussed the complexity of training the dog to be comfortable on stage with me in any setting from churches to concert halls. The trainers had me do several tests to see how we got along and how me worked together as a team.  As he walked with me, I immediately felt completely at ease with my uneven gait as he lent his support.  Then we rehearsed him coming to me when I called, sitting, and laying down when I gave the command and finally walking again with a harness and stopping when I told him to do so. I have to admit, with him at my side made my walking fell so much more secure and stable.  The hardest thing about that day was having to leave and trusting that God was placing us together. It took several weeks but, I found out that they were going to move to the next step and he was being trained for my needs.

In June 2024, Carprenter and I began our journey together. It took us 3 weeks of training, getting to know each other and bonding to find that we were meant for each other, Carpenter not only is my support and strength when I am weary, he has become my comforter and friend along my life’s journey. Even now, as I finalize this post he is laying at my feet, not working but just enjoying spending time with me as my companion, friend and beautiful gift from God.

Today, as I think about the many people and loved ones who have helped fill my life with love, I am especially thinking of one man I knew as my ‘Uncle Cork’.  Corkie was a nickname for a nixie little boy who grew into an intelligent and loving man named Curtis, but for those of us in the family, he was always Cork.  The Lord called him home yesterday. I want to share in the joy of his homecoming with Our Lord and Savior, but it is still the great loss to all of us who remain!

For as long as I can remember, my Uncle Cork has been a part of my life.  When I think of my earliest memories of him, I see him flipping burgers at the family get-togethers, always willing to get in on the games and forever having another story to share.  As I grew and became a woman, I came to know him not just as a friend but also as loving, full hearted, softy who could show you how to string a bow, shoot the arrow he fletched himself and cry with you as you listened to the classics like Bach and Puccini. My Uncle Cork was a loving, caring man filled with joy. When you needed to hear a story that you knew had to be a ‘bit of a fib’ but it made you laugh, he always had one to share. He was also a quiet man of God who loved with all of his heart, held you when you needed a hug, and held those he loved in a special place in his soul.  

As I sit and contemplate how I will miss him, I am so happy to know that he is in heaven with our beloved Savior and having dinner with his beautiful Charcie, eating the venison from that 12 point buck he ‘bagged’ just this morning. 

I love you Uncle Corkie!

I’ll miss your warm hugs, how you cried at every performance and tried to hide it, and our long chats about the better times! XX

Hello my dear friends and colleagues!

I know it has been a while since I posted and I thought I would fill you in on the many happy changes in my life since my last post. The last two years were spent with many changes and breaks in my singing ministry. With the onset of Covid19, all of my public singing came to an abrubt halt. The only ‘concerts’ that I was able to give in that 2 years were recordings from my dining room, available on Youtube, or if I was listening to my favorite recordings while I mowed the lawn and sang along as I worked. Although it was rough having to isolate, It gave me time to regroup and ask Jesus to direct my path through this dark time in our history.

I would never have guessed that He would guide me to look for a full time job to help us recover from the financial strain COVID19 put on our household. Where He took me has been a financial blessing, along with being a emotional “God Wink Moment” in my life. I had interviewed for over a hundred different positions and still hadn’t found the one that I felt led to accept. Finally, He sent me to a place that I could be happy and still feel like I was helping His people. I was called, not to use my voice as a vocalist, but for a secretary position at a local elementary school. When I walked in the door, it felt warm and welcoming. Just the kind of place where I could ‘hang my hat’.

Now that I have been there for 2/3 of the school year, I know it was just where He wanted me to be. I enjoy going to work every day and I feel like He is using me in so many ways. Many days I hear that a smile and a helpful hand is just what was needed to ease a stressed collegue’s day. Something as simple as a bottomless jar of candy I brought in and put on my desk as a little ‘pick-me-up’, is all that is needed to break the craziness of our daily routine.

I love my work family, enjoy feeling like I am one of the “gang,” and best of all, I am still able to perform from time to time around my working hours. So, it is a job that fulfills my financial, spriritual and musical needs. And the best part is that I am still helping God’d people. Also, I am still able to sing for Him now that the singing requests are starting to come in again as we move past Covid19’s grip on the world.

Miss you all and can’t wait to be singing again for you soon!

Jess

Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow Scotland – 2012

Glasgow Concert Hall 2012. This Christmas concert was to not only Celebrate the Season, but all the proceeds were donated to the Children’s Assiciation of Scotland (CHAS). It was an amazing joy to take part in the concert and with the Lord’s help, we raised $45,000 for CHAS.

For more infomation about Children’s Assiciation of Scotland, follow this link – https://www.chas.org.uk

This is a picture to show you what I do as a singing missionary. I raised the funds here in my hometown to pay for my expenses. Then I perform as a soloist to help raise funds for causes ranging from Adult & Children’s Hospices to The Salvation Army. This concert was to raise funds for the Children’s Hospice of Glasgow, Scotland in the United Kingdom. The concert, which was to a sold-out audience of nearly 3000 people, netted close to $60,000 for The Children’s Hospice of Glasgow. (Note the faces above the choir.  This was actually the choir seating that was sold to the public due to the normal seating being sold out)

In the above photo, The Springfield Cambridge Choir, Orchestra and their Children’s Choir (which can be seen standing around me) joined me for a rousing rendition of “O Holy Night”. An amazing ending to a beautiful evening honoring our Savior.

As the new year dawns, I am reminded what a blessing it is to be able to use my talent for Jesus and His people.  In 2008, I was asked to do a concert tour and take “love offerings” in for a Charity in Scotland.  After a busy schedule of 14 concerts in 14 days, I climbed in the plane, tired yet invigorated, to know that Jesus had shown me what He always knew to be true. That I would one day be singing for Him by giving concerts for the public with a message of hope and love.  Many times I was asked to not just sing music that honored Him, but other songs of joy from across the genres for a public that was not always ready and willing to listen to a completely religious concert.  So, I prayed, and He led me to give concerts that included secular along with the religious ,always remembering that His love would flow though the music even if it was just for a smile and a memory of “the good years”.  It has been my greatest joy to be able to sing for all of you over the years and sharing the message of hope and love through the music. 

Along this musical journey, He has allowed me to meet some of the greatest people who have become cherished friends. With Christ as my guide, you have helped me to raise thousands of dollars for various charities both her in the United States and also in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. All of this would never had been possible without you, my friends and followers of Christ.

“Thank You” to you, the hands, feet and heart of Jesus, who have always been my rock through the years.  May He continue to bless you all in this new year and hold you close to His heart!

Just as I felt led to do my singing missions tours, The Lord has put it on my heart to take on a new commission as District Activist Leader for the Nationl MS Society. Being diagnoesed in 2013 with Relapsing and Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, I felt that He was leading down another path for missions and this is where he has taken me so far.

On March 16th, 2016, along with 320 other MS activists, I headed to Capital Hill to meet with legilators in Washington DC.  The group I traveled with had 4 meetings that streched accross the Capital Hill Complex and filled most of my day.  Our requests were simple enough but instituting them could be hard in the volatile state the US congress was in. Once again, The Lord strengthened us and gave us resolve to present our requests with dignity and finesse.

Here is a list of what we are asking for the Fiscal Year 2017:

We are asking the Congressman to help us by:

• Calling for a hearing focusing on the patient perspective and our access to MS medications. Currently our medications can range from $30,000 – $240,000 a year and many patients have very high co-pays. Although they have medical coverage, it can be a decision to eat or take you medications.
• Cosponsoring the Advancing Research for Neurological Disease Act (H.R. 292). This would create a data collection system that will help researchers evaluate and understand factors related to neurological diseases like geographical clusters and variability and ethnic risks. I was born in 1975 and there has not been a data collection since 1975. That means that anyone under the age of 40 has not been included in the current data used to account for funding and healthcare for patients fighting MS.

• Providing at least $34.5 Billon for the National Institutes if Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year 2017. At our conference, Doctor Patrizia Casaccia from Mt. Sinai Hospital spoke of her studies and the progress they have made. Her lab has found that the myelin formation, which protects the nerve and is compromised by MS, can be increased causing the brain to fight back against our MS thus protecting the nerve from long term damage. With the Congressman’s support, we can continue to make progress finding a cure for MS. Here is a link to her website explaining some of her research findings  – http://neuroscience.mssm.edu/casaccia/

• Provide $10 Million for the Congressional Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Fiscal Year 2017 which providing a dedicated stream of federal funding for MS research which specifically encourages applications that address the needs of the MS community and concentrates on:
  • The biological basis of disease progression
  • Risk factors leading to the prevention of MS
  • Drug discovery
  • Biomarkers for preclinical detection of MS

The meeings were productive and by the end of the day, we felt confident that the legislators and legislative offices were on board with our requests. I also have several meeting sceduled with local legislators. I will keep you posted with any updates as they come to my attention.

In June, 2012, I was invited to tour France with “The Movement Laboratory” of Lebanon, PA.  We were to preform in the cities of Paris and Nice as ambassadors of the United Nations.  So, we headed “over the pond” to preform in large and small venues from “Euro Disney” to “The Little Sisters of the Poor”, a charity group that provide a place of respite to the financially strapped elderly all over the world. 

Eiffel Tower, Paris France

 Our first concert was at “Euro Disney” on the stage of “The Lion King”.  As I walked out on the “Videopolis” stage for a final sound check, I was struck by the thought of just where we were.  As a vocalist, you daydream of performing in venues that have instant name recognition like “Disney”. Now, I was to perform not only at Disney World, but “Disneyland Paris”.  In my wildest dreams, I never thought of myself as a Disney kind of gal.  After all, I had never been to Disney before.  Not even as a child.  I felt as though I had regained my childhood, if only for a few short hours. It is true, Disney does make you feel like a princess!

Our perfromance at Euro Disney, Paris France – “When You Wish Upon A Star”

Our next performance became our most emotional.  After a few days of sightseeing and a performance, many of us were reminded of the meaning our journey to lovely Paris when we arrived at Palais de la Femme (The Palace of the Women) run by the Salvation Army.  Alas, it was not a palace at all, but a halfway house for abused and distraught women in an area of Paris that brought us back to reality.  We were greeted by the joyous smiles of a homeless man holding the door for us and were escorted to a large empty hall filled with chairs.  As we set-up and did our final sound checks, we began to see our audience file in one by one.  It is times such as these as I am reminded to “humble yourself before the Lord”.  The audience consisted of 70 men and women who found solace in our hour of reprieve in their days.  Many were crippled, maimed or financially just making it from day to day.  Although only a few spoke our language, they smiled, nodded and mused with the music right along with us.  It was here that I found inspiration.  Many months before, Judy, the director of the group had asked me to perform the “Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen.  It was an aria I had always wanted to perform.  So, with great haste I worked on it with the hopes to be able to finally perform it for a live audience.  Well, the day had finally arrived!  I was terrified!  “Why” you ask? It was the first time I was going to be performing French for the French!  What if I pronounced something incorrectly?  These were not the Americans of my native land and I was speaking their native tongue.  So, I put on my best “Carmen Attitude” and headed out in front of the crowd.

“The Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen, Salvation Army – Paris, France

As the performance ended and the crowd cheered. It was thrilling when many of the audience members came to me and started speaking in French to me as if I should be fluent in the language.  It was disappointing to me to have to tell them, “Non parlez-vous le Francais!” One women, in disbelief exclaimed, “Non!” and I simply answered “Non”.  She put it so simply with her smile and said in broken English, “Your singing beautiful … tres magnifique!”  It was a great triumph for the PA Dutch Girl from Lebanon, PA, and kudos to my cousin, Lara, who taught me the French.  She is a French teacher at Lebanon High School.

Our final performance was in Nice, France.  Nice is part of the “South of France” or previously known as “The French Rivera”.  This was at a retirement home run by “The Little Sisters of the Poor”.  This organization, which is run by the Catholic Church, has it’s roots in France.  It is here that we had the joy of performing for a large group of elderly men and women in their home’s exhibition hall.  Our performance should have been hindered by fatigue, yet the girls danced as if they were seasoned performers.  It turned out that I needed the boost myself, as I had contracted a nasty cold and was unsure that I would have the chutzpah to pull off the performance.  With lots of prayer and faith the Lord saw me through and we all culminated with a moving performance of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” .  The audience cheered as they hugged us and thanked us for sharing our gifts with them.  So, as I boarded the plane, I realized I made new friends and rekindled some old friendships.  I happily enjoy remembering each and every day we spent together.

“Jessica Weidman, as the endlessly resourceful widow Dolly Gallagher Levi, gives us a performance to remember.  She had a big, brassy personality that captures the essence of the role.  Singing throughout the show with the power and drive of a jackhammer, Weidman leaves us with a performance worthy of a Tony Nomination.

Lewis E. Silverman  – Theater Review, Harrisburg Patriot News  – July 22, 2010

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