On the long walk back to the car, my wife recognized a young boy leaning against a van with a trumpet case. As a music teacher at Appleton's Classical School, she knows hundreds of young people in the area and is often stopping to chat with them. She asked him how he liked the play. He was a little downcast. "I came here and waited four and a half hours for my part, and then missed my cue and didn't get to play at all." He was part of the band of children that come onto the stage at the end. Apparently several of them missed the cue somehow in all the backstage confusion. It turned out well and most people would not have noticed that anything was wrong, but a number of young people left that night sad that an opportunity had been missed.
Life can be that way. There are and will be moments we have been waiting for, moments when it's time to step up and apply our talents for an important purpose, perhaps even a dramatic ending to a complex play of some kind. At those moments, it's important that we be there, that we be alert, and that we be listening for what might be an easily-missed cue from a still, small voice. Then we must have the courage to act and carry out our part. We've all missed opportunities, some large, some small, but may we strive to not miss any more and to listen, to avoid distractions, and stay focused on playing our part well. After our steady and faithful preparation, when the cue comes, may we step on stage and give it our all.
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