Itzhak Perlman Story
On November 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman gave a violin concert at Lincoln Center in New York City. Walking on stage is no small achievement. He was stricken with polio as a child. He has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of crutches. To see him walk across stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an inspiring sight. He finally reaches his chair and slowly sits down and lays his crutches on the floor. He undoes the clasps on his braces and ticks one foot back and extends the other. He places his violin under his chin and nods to the conductor to begin.
During this particular performance something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. The audience heard it snap. Everyone figured he would have to put his braces back on and limp his way off stage to fix his violin. But he didn't do that. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and signaled for the conductor to begin again. Perlman played with passion and power the audience had never heard before.
Those familiar with symphony know that it is almost impossible to play a piece of work with just three strings. Perlman refused to believe that. The audience watched as he changed and recomposed the piece in his head. When he finished, there was silence in the auditorium. And then the people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of that hall. People were on their feet screaming and cheering. Itzhak wiped the sweat from his brow and raised his bow to quiet the audience. He said -not boastfully- but in a pensive and referent tone, "Sometimes it is the task of the artist to find out how much music you can make with what you have left."
What does this story say to servants who have been terminated and feel as though they have lost their identity and meaning? Perhaps it says different things to different people. But is may suggest to hurting servants that they can make music with all they have, and then, when the strings of life break, they can play with what they have left.