"Sidestepping"

This morning

I sat alone 

on the balcony

and considered 

the clumps of seaweed

that high tide had

deposited onto the beach …

no doubt, the recent hurricane

ripped them loose

and set them in motion.

How many people

would look the other way 

or walk around the clumps

or think of the seaweed

as only ocean debris?

They once had a purpose, you know.

They gently danced

under the ocean’s surface, 

beautiful in their own way, 

purposeful in the way 

that they were created

to be purposeful.

I scoffed at those

who couldn’t see this.

Scoffed at those

who only saw

a clump of seaweed.

But then I remembered 

last evening,

when I saw four men,

dirty and staggering

and mumbling

as they stood in line 

at the restaurant.

I looked the other way

and walked around them

and, at times, glanced at them

in ways that might be akin

to casually glancing

at a clump of seaweed 

that the waves had

deposited onto the beach.

I overheard a server

whisper to the owner,

“Look, over there …

those four men are linemen.

They have worked in South Florida

and moved up to Georgia 

and now they are in 

South Carolina,

helping us.”

She turned and shouted

across the restaurant,

“SIRS, THANK YOU

FOR YOUR HELP.

THANK YOU!

THERE ARE SO MANY

WITHOUT ELECTRICITY.

THANK YOU!”

The four linemen

stood up to leave …

dirty from working

and staggering from exhaustion

and mumbling in gratitude, 

“You are welcome. 

We couldn’t think

of so many suffering

without doing something

to help.”

Just like the seaweed,

Hurricane Matthew

ripped these men

from their dwelling places 

where they gently danced

with their families …

ripped them loose

and set them into motion.

O God, In my scoffing

of those who sidestep

clumps of seaweed,

forgive me

for sidestepping

as well.

Amen.