Over the last few days I have been at my seminary alumni gathering. It is always wonderful to see people you've known in what sometimes seems like another life, catch up with them, hear the amazing stories of the work they are doing.
The first day we were able to attend worship in the beautiful new chapel that has been added since most of us were students. It was a worship experience led by current students and was centered around the theme of how, as God's people, we are all a part of a very large puzzle bringing our gifts and sharing them with the world. The words and the music were all lovely, the leaders earnest and fresh in their delivery. The central ritual included coming forward to take a piece of a large world map puzzle that graced the worship table. As gentle music played people filed forward in the way we all have been 'trained' to do and then labored over the choice of what piece of the world they wanted to take.
Near what we thought was the end of the ritual a voice from the musicians rang out:"Will someone grab me?!" I turned to see three people rush to the side of the violin player, a young man who had played so beautifully in the music we had sung. He stood, hands at his side, his head reaching a bit toward the ceiling, a smile pasted across his face. He was blind but did not want to be left out of ritual at hand and so he did what was necessary. He called out to be grabbed!
As he grasped the arm of one who had come to his rescue, I thought of all the times in his life when he must have yelled something similar. I also thought of all the times even those of us who are sighted want to…need to… yell:"Will someone grab me?" How often when life throws a dangerous curve in our road do we long to yell to someone, anyone,'grab me'? And then there are those times when the work we are doing seems so lonely that we want to know another person is there to walk with us for support or to help us see the way through. Grab me! There have been times in my own life when the situation seemed so unmanageable that I wanted to yell out "Will someone grab me?" How about you?
As we travel this gray, spring day, may the path below our feet be solid and sure. And if by chance it isn't, may we have the courage to call out for the help we need. May our words "Will someone grab me?" be answered by the gentle touch of another and may we walk together into what is just at the edge of our vision.