My recent holiday efforts towards charity for homeless veterans, along with recent events in the news got me thinking of a favorite poem of mine. I'll preface this with a disclaimer that it is quite religious in nature, but I think even those that are not religious can find much to appreciate in it.
























THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND


'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good friends?" He cried.
"Who'll start the bidding for me?
One dollar! Only one? And who will make it two?
Two dollars, once. And Three!
Three dollars, once. And three dollars, twice.
And going, and going," but no
From the back of the room a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow.
And wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As caroling angels sing.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"
As he held up the bow.
"One thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand dollars, and three!
Three thousand, once. And three thousand, twice.
And going, and going, and gone!" said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We don't quite understand
What changed its worth." Swift came the reply.
"'Twas the touch of the master's hand.'"
And many a man with life out of tune
And battered and scarred with sin,
Much like this old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine.
A game and he travels on.
He's going once, and going twice.
And going, and almost gone.
But the Master comes, and the thoughtless crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul, and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.
--Myra Brooks Welch

How many lives are deemed of no value today and scorned by the thoughtless crowd? How many lives that have boundless potential are deemed worthless and then tossed aside by society? Look at homeless men wandering our streets, look at the elderly left dying and alone. How many times has a man been deemed worthless by society and discarded as such? We should remember when we look at those who are lost, defeated, broken and alone that there, but for the grace of God, go I. Before we express our scorn, cast aspersions or look away in embarassment or disgust, we should remember that the worth of an individual soul, of a life, is....immeassurable.

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