Awareness — Page 97

C L A U S E D

July 29, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Have you ever turned a corner

and run into him face to face?

Would you be surprised?

Shocked?

Doubting?

Too old to even imagine it?

It happened. . .

to Max

a four year old

in church

who never saw him coming

and now will never forget that he did

Max was the only little kid in Church

last Sunday when we were celebrating

C H R I S T M A S I N J U L Y

He came forward to the congregation’s singing

J E S U S L O V E S M E

I asked him if he’d be surprised if Santa Claus

would actually be in church today.

Max agreed that he would

with a sigh and a face full of doubt

at the silly question.

I asked him to turn around

to see who was sitting in the back row.

It was Santa

in white pants

and a loud flowered print shirt

with a picture of a surfing Santa on the front.

The look on young Max’s face

couldn’t be painted or replicated

with shock and surprise.

Max excitedly said,

“I’ve never seen Santa in the day time. . . “

I asked Santa to come forward

(mind you, this was all impromptu)

and when he did,

he made a little boy’s heart

and the rest of all of us instantly transformed

little boys and little girls

h e a r t s

beat forever differently.

He told Max how glad he had come to Church

and how happy he was to see him.

He asked Max if was being a good boy

and like little marionettes

we all instinctively moved our heads

young and old

up and down

into a

Y E S

After he magically pulled a

C a n d y C a n e

from his pocket

for Max

and. . .M E

he picked up young Max

and gave him a hug

that we all felt.

Have you been

C L A U S E D

It truly made for one memorable

C H R I S T M A S I N J U L Y

none of us that

overly warm, humid Sunday

will soon forget

and maybe

even sooner still—

will unforgettably share

as it was so

awesomely

shared with us

It put the

F A

in all of our

L A ‘s

(not always such an easy feat at Christmas or Christmas in July)

Ho. . .

H O

m e r r y c h r i s t m a s

MUDDERS

July 22, 2016 By ChuckBehrens 2 Comments

It was a Sunday morning. . .

more Sunday’s ago than I can actually calculate

but I was in college and tired of studying. . .

It was raining

and so I took the car when I normally would have walked the

few blocks to a Church

that was getting built next door to an old city mansion

where the Church

was now meeting until the building was completed.

The Parking Lot. . .

more of a muddy field was

u n m a n e u v e r a b l e

My first mistake

was that I actually tried getting out of the car

I sunk to my ankles in cold, wet mud

There were about a dozen men and a few woman standing on the porch

watching me

s i n k

and then push my

car

It took a while

NO O N E H E L P E D

or even yelled to offer.

I fell several times

and my clothes and shoes were more mud than cloth and leather.

I made it

In college,

I lived with my grandmother’s;

when she saw me and my mud covered car

she fumed

as I told her the story

and began stripping out of my mud caked clothes.

I’ll never forget what she said

after calling

the good Church folk

some not so kindly

Church folk names:

“Those bunch of hypocrites. . .that’s exactly why I don’t go to Church. . .”

I yelled over my shoulder as I was going down the basement steps to the Washer:

“and that’s exactly why I want to serve One. . .”

Since t h a t I can’t count

the times I’ve found myself in

one muddy field

after another

pushing

struggling

cursing

my way through

I don’t notice so much anymore

just who’s watching

who’s noticing

who’s just passively

observing

or actually turning the other way.

Sometimes

in all of that Mud

it’s even harder to figure out

really where I want

really what I want to

b e ?

And I can’t fathom

this is where I was meant to be

here

now

again

in the mud

in the not so pretty

in the not so acceptable

in the not so easy to get completely clean place. . .

And then

Sometimes, because it seems

like it happens in

blink-of-the-eye-quickness

I go from one

muddy place

to another

without having the opportunity

to even sprinkle off

A N D T H A T ‘ S W H E N I T H I T S M E

I am at

my absolute best

WHEN I AM AT MY MUDDIEST;

My Best

When I’m at my most uncleanest;

When I’m at my most Soiled-est;

When I’m at my most filthiest;

When I’m at my most dingiest;

When I’m at my most foulest;

because that’s where

the most people reside

right there

right there in the mud

pushing

struggling

cursing

their ways, too

It’s not so much that we help each other as it is

that we

N O T I C E

R E C O G N I Z E

don’t turn away from

s e e i n g

We are not alone

We are

M U D D E R S

one

and

all

in need of a shower

and finding

barely a random

s p r i n k l e

y e t being

g r a t e f u l

just the same. . . .

The E Word

July 13, 2016 By ChuckBehrens 2 Comments

Do you pass the

T E S T

Are Y O U :

Finding Public Places Stressful

Needing Alone Time

Discovering Clutter as Catastrophic

Labeled as Moody

Enjoying Daydreaming

A Knowledge Seeker

A Free Spirit

Seeing that Rules and Routine are Torturous

Easily Bored and Distracted

A Creative Force

Battling Fatigue

Being a Human Lie Detector

Having an Addictive Personality

Well did you pass the

T E S T ?

Do you have one or more of these

t r a i t s ?

You know what it means?

You could be a very

dangerous

hopeless

impossibly irreconcilable

true-blooded

E M P A T H E T I C

p e r s o n

It’s more than just a word,

isn’t it:

E M P A T H Y

The word is everywhere these days, isn’t it

but not as

the v e r b

we all desperately need.

To be empathetic

is the ability to put yourself into another’s shoes

with the simple goal to just

understand their feelings. . .

so are you a highly empathetic person;

Do you have those traits?

Some would actually say

t h o s e t r a i t s

aren’t all that

admirable

Studies and Researchers say

approximately

T W E N T Y P E R C E N T

of the population are

highly empathetic people;

Caring Catalysts

Kind of makes

the

80/20

rule

u n – r u l y

Maybe that’s the best definition of EMPATHY

Webster’s

has yet to

d e f i n e

WHAT SAY YOU ?

IMMUNITY FROM TOUGH TIMES

July 11, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

I M M U N E

It’s a beautiful word

and an even better

c o n c e p t

but it doesn’t exist in

our lives

when it comes to

T O U G H T I M E S

It was shortly after being ordained in 1980

at my first church in Beech Bottom, WV

that I learned

“that behind every door there is a pain so deep, it can’t be spoken”

If tough times are

the given

the guarantee

the reality

then

so are the remedies

H E N C E

the little clip above

that’s been traveling the

internet and Facebook quite a bit

But what’s your

G O T O

A M E N D

when you go through the inevitable

T O U G H T I M E ?

Is it

T H A T everything will change

T H A T you’ve overcome challenges before

T H A T it’s just another learning experience

T H A T not necessarily getting what you want may be a blessing

T H A T you should allow yourself some fun

T H A T being kind to yourself is sometimes the best medicine

T H A T others people’s negativity isn’t worth the worrying

T H A T you have lots of strength as a person

T H A T anything is possible

T H A T great things take time

T H A T there’s always, ALL-WAYS something to be grateful

T H A T you drink, use, abuse. . .

T H A T you pour yourself into

work,

relationships,

kindnesses

T H A T you look the other way

T H A T you pretend

Y O U A R E I M M U N E

“Behind every door there’s a pain so deep it can’t be spoke”

but it can be

s u r v i v e d

and by being a

C A R I N G C A T A L Y S T

e v e n

T H R I V E D

Troubled Soul

join this

Troubled Soul

Join Me

the train doesn’t ride on the track any smoother

but it rides better

F U L L

The Broken Record

July 6, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Break any Records, lately. . . ?

According to wire service reports, a New York man has set a record for the most records in

The Guinness Book of World Records

His name is Ashrita Furman, and he is the first person to hold 100 Records at the same time!

Quite a feat, huh?

His Records include a mass poetry reading of the poem

“PRECIOUS”

in a 111 languages,

27,000 jumping jacks in five hours,

Eating 38 M&Ms with chopsticks in one minute. . .

Furman has held 234 total Records, but many have been broken.

He is quoted saying,

“I believe we all have an inner strength that we very rarely use.”

(IS THAT RINGING ANY BELLS IN YOUR HEAD?. . .FLYING ANY FLAGS UP YOUR POLE?)

He also said,

“I just love the challenge of trying to be the best in the World in something.”

Now it’s true,

we might not have this tremendous yearning to be

THE BEST

at something. . .

rather than to simply

DOING OUR BEST,

we would all probably agree that we have an inner strength we rarely use, though, huh?

So when it comes to

B R E A K I N G R E C O R D S

maybe the

BROKEN RECORD

that needs dumped is the one that plays over and over and over again and again and again that has that annoying scratch

S C R E E C H I N G

“YOU

ARE

NOT

GOOD

ENOUGH !”

Pssssssssssst:

UN-ACCEPTED SELVES

UN-ACCEPT OTHERS

until that

BROKEN RECORD

is ditched.

Lesson of the Day:

Once the Trash is taken to the Curb, Never bring it back into the HOUSE–E V E R !

(Break me THAT record, Batman)

M A D E U P

July 4, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Last week my granddaughter,

Stella

was so impressed with the YouTube video above

that she had to show it to me.

Is it the best YouTube video ever shown?

Is it Flawless?

Is it too long?

Does it

S P E A K

to you?

What does it

S H O U T

what does it

w h i s p e r ?

Maybe the easiest question to ever answer

is also one of the most difficult to ever ask:

ARE YOU MADE UP ?

What burns

What Scars

What Imperfections

What Flaws

What Defect

What Imperfectedness

What Blemish

are you covering?

Psssssssssst:

Most of the things we cover up

are way more than

s k i n d e e p

M O S T

never have the eyes to see the mar

of others

that they can’t miss

in themselves

The Cure?

It’s not make up

It’s not Creams

It’s not Masks

It’s not Plastic Surgery

It’s not Corrective Eye Surgery

It’s

A C C E P T A N C E

A strong dose of Acceptance

It’s well documented

and known

that caring for ourselves is

key to caring

for others.

GET PAST THE REFLECTION

the LOOKING GLASS

Mirror,

OFF THE WALL

What’s Inside

Reflects

A L L

Hmmmmmmmmm of the DAY:

That ain’t MADE UP

In fact,

It may be the Greatest

I N D E P E N D E N C E D A Y

you’ll ever celebrate!

SHAMU’ED

July 1, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

You know it’s a long time

when they can’t remember

W H E N

It was severely impromptu

but

I went swimming on my day off

with two of my granddaughters

I’ve done it before. . .

waaaaaaaaaaay before any of us could actually

RE-MEMBER

the last time it took place

S W I M M I N G

and it was

m a g i c a l

I made a magnificent discovery:

In mere seconds

I lost well over 50 years

by jumping in the water

splashing

dunking

throwing kids through the air

doing my classic version of

S H A M U

by laying back in the water and pounding my leg down

to make a huge splash and small tidal wave

Other kids were joining in

splashing

dunking

wanting to get thrown through the air

and
yes

S H A M U ‘ E D

I was

literally. . .

quite the

S P L A S H

As I got out of the pool during

“R E S T T I M E”

it was the years that dripped off of me

more than the water droplets.

I was suddenly 8 again

and as I SHAMU’ED the kids

and became the hated

POOL SHARK

my heart beat as a little boy

that shivered under the

ice-cold blast of a water hose

and begged for a BIG PRETZEL

and a KLONDIKE BAR

like all of the kids did around the

s n a c k b a r.

It reminded me of one of my favorite poems

by James Kavanaugh

LITTLE BOY I MISS YOU

Little boy, I miss you, with your sudden smile and

Your ignorance of pain

You walked in Life and devoured it–without anything

But misty goals to keep you company

Your heart beat mightily when you chased frogs

And captured one too big for a single hand

You wandered with friends in quiet woods and were

Startled by a shuffling porcupine

Matches were a mystery that lighted fires and

Chewed up leaves in savage hunger

There was no time for meaning–a marshmallow gave it

On a sharpened stick

A jackknife in your pocket provided comfort when your

Friends were gone

A flower in the woods hidden by an aging,

Shriveled log

A dog who danced and licked at your fingers and

Chewed your jeans

A game of football you didn’t expect

A glass of cider, a cricket’s cry

When did you lose your eyes and ears, when did taste

buds cease to tremble;

Whence this sullenness, this mounting fear, this quarrel

With life–demanding meaning?

The maddening search is leisure’s bonus–the Pain

that forbids you be a boy!

I lost well over 50 plus years in mere moments. . .

hoping that it takes longer. . .

much longer

for it all to seep

back into place again. . .

as it always

d o e s

Until then. . .

C A N N O N B A L L

And the Most COMPASSIONIST

June 22, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

WHAT GET’S IT FOR YOU?

A Movie?

A News Story?

A Song?

A First Act of Witnessed Kindness?

A Rags to Riches Story?

W H A T G E T S I T F O R Y O U ?

What Stomps on your

C O M P A S S I O N B U T T O N

Like an Elephant’s Foot on Your Aorta?

Is it because you are

Religious

Spiritual

Agnostic

Atheist

+ * ?

You may not really like this. . .

but when it comes to

C O M P A S S I O N

uhhhh. . .

the more

R e L i G i O u S

the less

compassionate.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

turns out to be less of a thing for

The Religious

than

The Less Religious

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley suggests that the highly religious are less motivated by compassion when helping a stranger than are atheists, agnostics and less religious people.

In three separate experiments, social scientists found that compassion consistently drove less religious people to be more generous. For highly religious people, however, compassion was largely unrelated to how generous they were, according to the findings which were published in the July issue of the Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science

Obviously, these results challenge a widespread assumption that acts of generosity are largely driven by feelings of empathy and compassion, researchers said. In the study, the link between compassion and generosity was found to be stronger for those who identified as being non-religious or less religious.

“Overall, we find that for less religious people, the strength of their emotional connection to another person is critical to whether they will help that person or not,” said UC Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a co-author of the study. “The more religious, on the other hand, may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns.”

COMPASSION is defined in the study as an emotion felt when people see the suffering of others which then motivates them to help, often at a personal risk or cost.

Y’ O U C H

Now. . .seat belts fastened, please. . .

Professor Willer concludes:

“Overall, this research suggests that although less religious people tend to be less trusted in the U.S., when feeling compassionate, they may actually be more inclined to help their fellow citizens than the more religious. . . .”

(More information: Social Psychological and Personality Science April 26, 2012 doi: 10.1177/1948550612444137)

THE TAKE ?

It’s N O T

to become

Less Religious

More Religious. . .

Uhhhhh, how about just simply

to become

more COMPASSIONATE

no matter what!

Borders are overflowing with refugees not so much in search of land than an open heart

Diseases aren’t seeking cures more than open acceptance

Hands are outreaching not so much for food or money so much as returning outstretched hands

The WHOLE WORLD

is turning. . .running the other way

THE COMPLETING COMPASSIONATE

are SPRINTING

towards the unfavored

. . .which DIRECTION

are you

j e t t i n g ?

CHEATED

June 1, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Now that the School year is coming to an end

–a g a i n–

and Graduations are taking place all over the land,

maybe some on your own personal real-estate;

the Question h o v e r s

H a v e y o u ?

You’d be in very,

very good company. . .

In fact, the old adage,

“EVERYBODY DOES IT”

most likely applies to this than maybe anything else. . .

E V E R !

The Enron scandal started a lot of things, including a lot of schools beginning conversations about Ethics and Values; but it seems to not much value. Duke University expelled 9 MBA students and gave out lesser punishments to some 37 others in one of the most recent cheating scandals in the Country. The US Air Force Academy expelled 18 students for cheating. Ohio University has reported ‘rampant and flagrant’ plagiarism by graduate students in Engineering.

. . .and Shocker. . .even Administrators have been caught cheating. The most prominent was the resignation of a Dean of Admissions at MIT whose resume contained fabrications–when she was first hired some 30 years ago. A Rutgers study of 32 Universities showed 56% of MBA Students admitted Cheating; followed by 54% of grad students in Engineering and 45% in Law. The Undergraduates at those schools were even worse, with 74% of Business Students and 68% of Students in other fields admitting to some form of cheating.

Here’ s the Scary Part:

Those statistics were complied May 19, 2007 via www.IvyJungle.org

Back in 1940, only 20% of College students admitted to cheating during the academic careers. . .

Today. . .TODAY that number has increased to 75-98

. . .YES, 9 8%

Those figures were compiled just June 29. . .TWO-THOUSAND-ELEVEN

What. . .what are the actual percentages on June 1, 2016

Do you think the percentage of people cheating has declined. . .and hey,

this is just those in SCHOOL. . .

we won’t get into Work environments or our personal relationships. . . .

The worst thing about statistics and percentages is how we actually find ourselves there but not glaring back at us from some kind of

T R U T H M I R R O R

. . .something much more telling than that. . .

our Conscience. . .

or is that what we call our own inner self-awareness, our personal scruples now?

When I was at the fine institution of West Liberty State College–The Cow-path to Culture, I remember fulfilling one of my English Course requirements on William Faulkner. Dr. Peter Makuck, who was my professor of that course and the Creative Writing Classes I took from him, once told a story about Faulkner giving a lecture to a group of students at a southern university and one of the students pointed out that a passage from one of his novels seemed very familiar to F.Scott Fitzgerald. Faulkner reportedly said,

“That’s right, I stole from Fitzgerald and if you were a writer, I’d steal from you, too.”

I loved that story about Faulkner. . .

the same Faulkner who supposedly said,

“Immature artists copy, great artists steal.”

Well. . .

h a v e y o u ?

Sometimes. . .

especially when we’re in the company of the masses,

it’s easier to massage our sense of right and wrong;

but make no mistake. . .

The Cheating

are the ones most often

C H E A T E D

Sharing Your Best Medicine

May 16, 2016 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

When’s the last time you’ve had a good laugh?

When’s the last time you’ve caused one?

One of the highlights of 2016 for me so far happened in February

I became a Certified Laughter Leader

by attending the World Laughter Tour Workshop

under the direction of the fantastic funny man

Steve Wilson

You want to know what I noticed

but haven’t always recognized:

L A U G H T E R I S R E A L L Y G O O D F O R Y O U

Really, Really good!

(EVEN IF YOU FAKE IT)

Hey. . .

Don’t believe me?

G O O G L E :

WHAT HAPPENS PHYSIOLOGICALLY WHEN YOU LAUGH

You’ll activate an Amusement Park inside your body

From your Brain

to your Muscles

to your lungs

to your heart

to your tear ducts

to your endorphin explosion release

to your reduction of pain center activation

You’ll make any local Pharmacy

more jealous than a Sea Shore without an Ocean

I’ve always believed the cliche:

L A U G H T E R I S T H E B E S T M E D I C I N E

but the best antidote for the

blues

sadness

blahs

cloudy days

senses of impending doom

or just all out

y u c k days

is not just laughing

but laughing with someone else

(go ahead–try to hate someone you laugh with)

better still—

making someone else laugh

Hey. . .

Did you hear the one

a b o u t. . . .

Excuse me. . .

THE THREE STOOGES are on

“Niagara Falls. . .Slowly I turn. . .Step by Step. . . .”

SITE MAP