This January is the sixth annual "Lakes Region's Got Talent" competition here in western Maine.  The very first LRGT was six years ago, and my daughter, Rose, competed in it with her friend, Corbin.  They were 12 and 13 respectively.  Although they didn't advance beyond the first round, it was a pretty courageous thing to do.  There has not been any juggling in the competition since that year.  This year that has changed. I decided, now that Sue and I are empty nesters, that I would enter the contest. The first round was Sunday afternoon.

I wasn't (and still am not) planning to do overtly Gospel routines, which caused me to confuse myself a little and wonder why I signed up at all? Certainly, performing for fun is not wrong in itself, but it's a pretty big commitment: four consecutive Sundays. To convince myself I wasn't just doing it for my own ego, I had been praying to be "salt" while involved with the competition.  In the sermon on the mount, Jesus says believers are both salt and light. Light is obvious, shining, drawing attention. Salt, on the other hand, is a subtle presence that often goes unnoticed but is missed if not there. I wanted to be salt to the people I would interact with. Little did I know how quickly God would answer that prayer.

When I first arrived at Lakes Region High School in the town of Naples, I was greeted by a young woman who exclaimed, "Mr Hagerstrom. How are you? Are you juggling today?" This 20 year old lady was a former student where I teach, but was never in my class. We caught up on the eight years that have passed since she was a sixth grader, but it was clear she was very nervous about the song she would be singing. Then she asked me to pray with her. Right there in the cafeteria of the High School with the other contestants milling around, we prayed.

Later, I conversed with a woman who was going to be reciting a dramatic dialogue.  She asked if I was the guy who went to Uganda. I had included this in my bio for the event's program, but had forgotten. Anyway, she began asking me questions about the trip, and this conversation quickly moved to the spiritual.  God was letting me see opportunities to be "salt" right off the bat. There were also plenty of opportunities to encourage the other performers, the rest of whom were all high school or younger.

I performed "When the Saints Go Marching In" my three ball routine to the classic Mahalia Jackson song.  I hadn't been nervous until I heard that one of the judges was Karen Montenaro. She and her late husband, Tony, founded the Celebration Barn Theatre in South Paris, Maine many years ago, and they are world renowned experts on mime, juggling and circus arts! Tony was considered the greatest American mime of his era, and was a student of Marcel Marceau. I did the routine without error, though, and got positive feedback from all the judges, even Mrs. Montenaro. 

Now that I am comfortable with the space and lighting on the high school stage, I am planning on doing a more challenging routine if I make it to the next round. I'll let you know how that goes.