In Someone Else's Hands

In Someone Else’s Hands

At a recent concert, Keith Urban saw a sign held by a fan and he invited him up on stage. The guy wanted to play guitar. So, Keith Urban handed him his guitar, and then perhaps as a precaution, asked his guitar tech for a guitar. “Any guitar, Chris,” is what he said.

I’ve heard of other artists bringing fans up on stage and having them perform. Bryan Adams brought up a fan for his hit, Cuts Like A Knife, and it didn’t turn out so well. And in this case, Keith Urban handed this kid his own guitar and the song was Sweet Thing, full of vintage guitar riffs. When I watched the video, I was focused more on Keith than I did on the kid, because this was his song, his guitar and this particular performance was In Someone Else’s Hands.

How did it turn out?

“He crushed it!” is what Keith Urban said. And to my untrained ear when I listened to it, it sure sounded like he had crushed it! It really sounded great!

This past week, we took a vacation to Tennessee and it was one of the best we’ve ever had. Peaceful, tranquil, and yet, busy. Horseback riding, Moonshine tasting, Tubing down a river with a couple of small rapids thrown in, a tour of Cades Cove, mini-golf on the side of a mountain, visiting an enormous aquarium where the girls got to pet stingray and jellyfish.

But . . .

Kim, Hannah and Emily wanted to go white water rafting. Hmmm . . .

Now folks, I have to tell you that I’m not competent nor comfortable in water except a hot tub or a bath tub. The thought of the necessity of having to wear a helmet and a lifejacket caused me some anxiety. Okay, I was actually very nervous. I almost chickened out.

It was a forty-five minute trip on the Pigeon River that started just feet from the North Carolina border. We were given instructions:

1.      Don’t stand on the river if you fall out of the boat because most drownings occur when one’s foot gets lodged between rocks and debris on the river floor. Yes, comforting, especially the falling out of the boat and drowning part.

2.      Keep the lifejacket snug because if you do fall overboard, they pull you up by the shoulder straps, not your arms, for fear of dislocating a limb. Oh, great!

Our guide, BP, was a young kid- late twenties or early thirties. Heck, at my age, anyone ten years younger than me is a kid.

He had six years’ rafting experience and was a former Marine (not that I knew that until we were actually on the water). Still, I gave up what little control I had and placed it squarely, if not begrudgingly, In Someone Else’s Hands.

BP was funny, informative, and gave us a wonderful trip. I would go again in a heartbeat, especially if he was our guide.

Still, the thought of placing my life and lives of Kim, Hannah and Emily In Someone Else’s Hands caused me nervousness and anxiety and almost at the end, I almost didn’t go. I almost chickened out.

But I didn’t. I didn’t.

I allowed myself the opportunity to trust someone I didn’t know. I allowed myself to trust that someone, besides me, knows what to do and how to do it. I allowed myself to let go, to go along, and to believe that I cannot, will not, be able to control everything. Nor should I. A big step for me. Perhaps, a big step for each of us. To let go. To place ourselves In Someone Else’s Hands. Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:

Please feel free to connect with me at

Twitter at @jrlewisauthor

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Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI/      

Recent interview of me and my work, you can find it at http://bit.ly/29yA9IT

If you like to read thriller/mystery, check out:

Book One of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives:

Two thirteen year old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis       

Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:

Six men escaped and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis      

Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:

The FBI knows a 14 year old boy has a price on his head, but he and his family don’t. With no leads and with nothing to go on, the FBI gambles and sets up the boy and his family as bait in order to catch three dangerous and desperate men with absolutely nothing to lose.

http://tinyurl.com/Splintered-Lives-J-Lewis      

The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:

FBI Agent Pete Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis