Unmoored

There she stood
At the MetroTech train station
With a cardboard sign
Stating that she was suddenly homeless
And had lost everything in a fire.

I was already at the office
When I was prompted to go back
And talk to her.

Over breakfast,
She told me her name is Debbie.
She summarized her life story,
And the events leading up to
Her desperate, destitute condition.
She told me that no one ever stops
To talk to her.

Of course.  You are invisible, I thought.
And I am a creature who precariously hovers
Between worlds.
I operate on instincts, and gut feelings,
And spiritual promptings,
Seeing what others often miss. 
I see you, Debbie, I thought,
Thick with emotion
In response to her tears.

I ministered to her as best I could.
I felt awkward and foolish,
Guilty and self-conscious,
But I stayed, and listened,
And prayed that she heard You
In the words coming out of my mouth.

How easy it is
For a string of events
To rip us from our moorings at life's docks,
And toss us about
A storm-savaged sea!
How very easy to lose
Meaning and direction and purpose!

O Lord,
Let the words of my mouth
And the meditations of my heart
Be pleasing to You.
Recall that girl to life's safe shores.
Help her get settled.
Help her find a good way,
A sturdy harbor in her storm.
Fan the flame of hope inside her.
Above all, Father,
Don't let that be snuffed out.

I rode up the escalator
Disconcerted and unsatisfied.
Lord, have I done enough?
I asked You.
It never feels like enough.

The lyrics to the hymn
"Let Your Heart Be Broken"
Resound in my head,
Weaving through the melody
In a tapestry that girds me.

And deeper in the background,
On the periphery of my thoughts,
I hear the siren call of seminary...