By Enid JoaquinRichard McDonald is a Pastor with a unique gift. One that affords him the opportunity to preach sermons and speak volumes without uttering a single word!He doesn’t have to speak! I mean, not always- because he has an instrument, that does a whole lot of talking for him. That instrument is the saxophone, one of the many musical instruments that he plays.Interesting, when one considers that Richard McDonald never attended music classes- he is completely self-taught.If you’ve been fortunate enough to hear McDonald play that saxophone, then I’m sure you would agree with me, when I say that with such musical finesse, speech can take a back seat!This talented musician elicits many a tear, whenever and wherever he plays – ask our dear President and he will tell you. Many others can also attest to this man’s powerful sway over ones emotions, whenever he plays that saxophone.Some swear that such sweet saxy eloquence is unmatched in these parts.It is therefore not at all surprising that he was the one chosen to serenade the Presidents and Prime Ministers at the recent Caricom Heads of Government summit here in Guyana.Talented Saxophonist Richard McDonald is a Special Person.And it should therefore not be at all surprising to you, that Kaieteur News has chosen him as this week’s ‘Special Person’.What is surprising though,Tony Perez Reds Jersey, is that the saxophone is not McDonald’s most favourite instrument, it is in fact the guitar.“My first love is the guitar- as a matter of fact the first time I got close to one, I felt an instant connection, I said to myself I have to learn to play this thing.”And did he learn to play! At the time he was just 12 years old, but he was already singing in a little church at Agricola, where he lived with his grandmother.As you would probably guess, he was grandma’s baby, and because he was so close to her, he confessed that he was right beside her when she drew her last breathe.“I was fortunate to see my grandmother die. I think she wanted me to, because when it happened it was just the two of us alone at home. I was glad to be there because she had this happy look on her face, as though she knew where she was going.”After her death, McDonald said that the pastor of the church, asked his mother for him to stay with her as he was a member of the church band. His father had long died, so his mother was only too happy to oblige.Our talented musician is a voracious reader, which is really a great thing, as he was never afforded the opportunity to attend secondary school, because of financial constraints.One would however question that, after conversing with this gentleman, who is knowledgeable on just about any topic under the sun. So knowledgeable in fact, that he would put many a university graduate to shame.But where did he gain this knowledge? Simple – he just read all the books in his pastors library, including a whole volume of encyclopedia.Our Special Person delivers a stirring rendition on his saxophoneRichard and his lovely wife Cheryl.McDonald had developed his love of reading from his mother, who often, when cooking, had a book propped up on the kitchen counter.He and a sibling were of course tasked with going to the library to collect and return the books, not just for their mother, but for themselves.During those early years with his parents, before going to live at Agricola with his grandmother, McDonald was exposed to as much education at home, as he was in school.His mother would read to the children, and the father would illustrate what was read. He would also write poetry, which the whole family enjoyed.This was a family not rich in the traditional sense of the word, but rich in love and family values.WORK AND LOVEMcDonald confesses that he came to Linden in the early seventies where he began his working life in the clerical field with Bookers.“Work brought me to Linden, but it is love that made me stay. In fact a particular young lady, who when I first saw her I thought was an angel in white.”He further confessed that he fell head over heels in love – a fact that changed his life forever.“At the time, music was my life. I wasn’t thinking about girls or anything, so long as I had my music I was happy. But this particular young lady changed all that. She would ensure that Richard McDonald stayed in Linden.He naturally didn’t mind, because he somehow knew that he had found his soul mate.The angel was of course a young lady by the name of Cheryl Baird. Like her soon to be husband, Cheryl had also become a Christian at the age of 12.It did not take our ‘Special Person’ long to convince the beautiful Miss Baird that he was the love of her life.Ms Baird who was at the time a student of the University of Guyana, made such an impact on McDonald that he stopped returning to Georgetown every weekend just so he c