Handing Cellos

My wife and I were on our way to hear the world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform and were walking beside some folks who described something that happened the last time they heard him perform at Wake Forrest University. I may not have absorbed all the details correctly, but the heart of the moment is what compelled me to write this brushstroke.

He was on stage performing with the Wake Forest University orchestra. When he was done, he left the stage and the orchestra was going to perform a piece on their own. Before they began, however, Yo-Yo Ma returned to the stage as if to join them, but that was not his intention. He walked over to the lead cellist and handed him his cello (a close to priceless instrument) and asked if he would like to play it. Oh how I wish I had been there and seen the look on that student’s face! It was a moment that captures what I feel we are all called to do and be.

Whether we are a banker, lawyer, or doctor . . . a mother or father . . . adult or child . . . mechanic or artist . . . athlete or priest, I believe we all have cellos, and while we are called to play them as well as we can, we are also called to hand them to others to let them have a try. The current expression is to “pay it forward,” and the moment at Wake Forest was such a vivid example of someone taking his life and offering it to another.

Since hearing about what Yo-Yo Ma did, I’ve been reflecting on those who have handed me their cellos. It’s produced a wonderful collage of generous souls who gave me a part of their life so that I could try to make music with mine. The church calls such people “saints,” but whatever we call them, such people serve as memorable examples of what I want to do and who I want to be.

The key is to (1) figure out what my cello is and (2) to whom I can offer it. I don’t think there’s a better way to spend one’s life. I hope you agree.