That
Sweet Rearview Mirror
by
James Hersch
Do you want to feel something really good? Go do something as well as
you can, your honest best, and then drive away with the rearview mirror
spilling over with that knowledge. These days, that mirror holds the
world for me. It tells a great story about these college students I spend
a day with seeking and solving the mysteries of reaching out to people
in service.
In it I spy the student’s
apprehensive faces as we enter another world they know little about
only five blocks from campus, a world that is easy to ignore when they
hurry by on their way to class. Now we have only our smiles, songs
and presence to offer this packed room of very special individuals.
“While responses to these events are unpredictable, it is
very safe to say that [you] had a profound effect on some people today.” -
Fred Romkema, Director Northern Hills Training Center
Now I spy the same
student’s faces light up with laughter and
genuine affection for the ones we’ve come to visit. The sound of
music has filled the room. We have connected to the ones whose lives
will largely be spent inside institutional walls for cognitively impaired.
We have changed the temperature inside these walls, changed the energy,
changed the faces... and we ourselves are changed, willingly and happily.
“The clients at the Northern Hills Training Center will forever
adore and remember the man who came and entertained them with his beautiful
music and made them feel so special...” - Ellen Melaragno, Student
Programs Coordinator, Black Hills State University
REACHWITHME is a challenge as much as it is an invitation. How much
will we risk? How fearless will we be? How fully can we reach out?
“James, last week Jennifer came into my office to share her
experiences and emotions. She was overwhelmed with the goodness
that she had witnessed. I really believe you helped define her
life.” - Jane M. Klug, Director of Student Services,
Black Hills State University
I spy my own face,
surprised at myself, surprised at how far away I’ve
landed from the music career I once envisioned. In the rearview mirror
I recall the many fears I’ve been able to overcome to make singing
my profession and my calling. I review and I see a day of my life well
spent, full of the things I love about being a musician.
So as I turn up the
music and hit the gas, the reflection of a campus and a town is fading
away. It’s a sweet reflection.
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