The Caring Catalyst

Who Cares - What Matters

Merry PRACTICE CHRISTMAS

By Leave a Comment


Uhhhhhhh, if you know even a little bit about me.          .          ,

It’s that I adore Christmas.          .          .

Every year

Every Season

Every Month

Every Week

Every Day

Every Minute

Every Second

OF   IT.          .          .

W           H             Y ?

Here’s   a   little   Explanation:

When   A N O T H E R

says something

better than you  could ever

u  t  t  e  r

w r i t e

r e c i t e.        .        .

Give’em the Stage

and the Microphone

and most definitely,

T H E    S P O T L I G H T

and   don’t   shut   up

so   much   as   really

L                 I                 S                 T                 E                 N :

This Henry van Dyke story is featured in our collection of Christmas Stories. and Short-Short Stories to read when you have five minutes to spare. You might enjoy his other works, The Other Wise Man and The First Christmas Tree

It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time.

But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellow-men are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness–are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open–are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world–stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death–and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas.

And if you keep it for a day, why not always?

But you can never keep it alone.      

 

L                 I                S                T                E                N :

 

  Sometimes FROM A DISTANCE
We’ve never seen
what we’ve needed to seen any
  C             L              O              S              E              R
.        .        . So
Go hug a tree
Hopefully a lit Christmas Tree.          .          .
Even      if 
E         S          P          E          C          I          A          L          L          Y             I  F
It’s   a   Charlie   Brown   variety.          .          .
Bring   the   Season
TO      THE      NOW
.            .            .and     keep      I T      there!
For   an   E V E R
and   then   an
E      V      E      R           M      O      R      E

HOUSTON, We have a SOLUTION

By 1 Comment

CARING  IS  DARING

EVERY TIME, FOR EVERY NEED, Get’s The STAR

Anyone Can be a Caring Catalyst even though it’s much easier just to say you are ONE

Sometimes, I DO. . .Most of the Time, I DON’T

S T O P:    COMPASSION  is  a  V E R B

If COMPASSION isn’t a Verb.     .     .it’s Nothing else.     .     .A useless Word!

SYMPATHY Shouts:  H E L P !
COMPASSION Answers:  HERE   I  AM

COMPASSION is always Blind and Deaf to:
IF, AND, BUT, UNLESS, UNTIL, EXCEPT, 
so that WE can be that Sightless and Un-Hearing.     .     .

SYMPATHY Whispers, “I’M  SORRY,”
COMPASSION SHOUTS, “LET ME GIVE YOU A HAND”

We don’t have to be a KNOWN Caring Catalyst
to be an EFFECTIVE Caring Catalyst.     .     .

We should all

CHUCK IT
STEVE IT
HARRY IT
SARA IT
JULIA IT
BARB IT
JOE IT
ANNE IT
SAM IT
SHELBY IT
KIRK IT
(i n s e r t     name)_____________________________IT

DO
Always Champions
D O N ‘ T

It’s  NEVER  how  much  you  Give  so  much  as  THAT  you  Give

When it’s time to RISE
don’t sit
don’t kneel
don’t sink
don’t shrink
don’t evaporate 
R     I     S     E

www.redcross.org/Disaster-Relief/Hurricane

www.unitedwayhouston.org

www.houstonfooodbank.org

www.houstonhumane.org

PAY  ATTENTION, CLASS

it  is no longer appropriate
to just be in Class.        .        .

Class is  NOT IN SESSION

HELPING
ASSISTING
GIVING
CARING

I S.         .         .

It’s YOUR  TURN

I’d   rather   have   1000   people   give   a   Penny
than   a   Million   not   give   a   damn.          .          .

BE THE CARING CATALYST

YOU’RE NEEDED TO BE.          .          .

Psssssssssssst  of  the  Day:

It’s time to stop asking questions

and start   L I V I N G     A N S W E R S.          .          .

BE   KIND   WHENEVER   POSSIBLE,
IT’S    ALWAYS    POSSIBLE.
                  Dalai  Lama

Your Sparkle

By Leave a Comment

https://youtu.be/kUFPGYVhmSs

If  your life  was  a

C         O         M         M         E         R         C         I         A         L

what  exactly  would  it  be

a d v e r t i s i n g.        .        .        ?

It’s  not  so  much  the  noticing  of

W H A T ‘ S      B E T W E E N      U S      C O N N E C T S      U S

or  even  recognizing

Y  O  U  R       S  P  A  R  K  L  E

so  much  as  just  simply

S H A R I N G    I T

.          .       .it’s  one  thing  to  be  an  empty

B      I      L      L      B      O      A      R      D

and  another  to  ever

G      I      V      E

what  no  commercial  could

ever even begin to

promise.       .      .

as a Caring Catalyst

it’s never really what’s

Y     O     U     R            S     P     A     R     K     L     E 

so  much  as

H O W

W H E N

W H E R E 

and  mostly

T     H     A     T

YOU     SHARE    IT.        .        .

Psssssssssssssssst   of   the   Day:

Why have   S P A R K L E

if   you   don’t ?

RAINING WEDDING DAYS

By Leave a Comment

One   of   our   biggest   flaws

in day to day

l               i               v               i               n               g  

is    N  O  T

n        o        t        i        c        i        n        g

what  we

r   e   c   o   g   n   i   z   e.        .        .

The   Sun   Shines.     .     .

on   Raining   Days

even   if

especially   if

you   n o t i c e

you simply r e c o g n i z e

or better still.          .          .

m  a  n  u  f  a  c  t  u  r  e—

C             R             E             A             T             E    

I    T

The  truest  WEDDING DAY

isn’t when two people come together

to pledge their devoted/dedicated love

it’s when they realize

that there’s never been a moment

T   H   A   T

hasn’t   existed

when   they   first    became

a  h a v e n

S   H   E   L   T   E   R

to each’s

other

.          .          .rain

sleet

snow

sun brightly shining

(especially in the darkest, most stormiest of nights)

 

 

STARBUCK’ED

By 2 Comments

 

LIFE IS LIKE.           .           .

It’s kind of simple to fill in the blank isn’t it?

You could fall back on the old Forrest Gump box of chocolates…but I think we do know what it is we’re going to get–REALLY!

Whether it’s over a cup of coffee or a box of chocolates or dinner, lunch or breakfast, there’s one conversation that needs to be had with three of the most important people in the world:

Me

Myself

and I

The Conversation?

It’s not about your favorite chocolates

It’s not about your favorite coffee

It’s not about your favorite vacation spot

It’s not about your favorite past-time

It’s not about your favorite book or movie or song

It’s not about your passion.           .           . !

It      is      about      what      you      do      best

Have THAT

 conversation with yourself in

mirror-to-the-face-honesty 

and it becomes vividly clear

not only who you are

but what you’re suppose to do

where,

when,

and how.           .           .

and that beats any cup of coffee

anytime and any where

in and out of this world.          .          .

Cheers!

When Humility Dials a Phone

By 2 Comments

Sometimes it happens to

M     E.        .        .

Y    o    u ?

Sometimes my inner and outer

Caring Catalyst

gets scabbed over

o  k.          .          .

C         A          L          L          O          U          S          E          D

and then it gets

s     o     f     t     e     n     e     d

with  the

s i m p l e s t

the most

s i g n i f i c a n t

things:

A  mere  phone  call.          .          .

I hadn’t heard from him in a long time–

y  e  a  r  s

We had been colleagues

but never close

and never social.        .        .

we might have seen each other across the room

at a conference or a luncheon presentation

but neither would make a move to meet

in the middle.     .     .

an acquaintance

nothing more

maybe even

l   e   s   s

and   then

I had heard recently after giving a presentation

at a local hospital

that he had suffered a severe stroke.     .     .

I think I reached out

benignly

via a FaceBook Instant Message

that I was thinking of him and wishing him the best

and then.     .     .

h       o       n       e       s       t        l       y

I     f o r g o t     a b o u t     him.          .          .

When the cell phone rang

I didn’t recognize the number

but I broke my rule of answering a

number I didn’t recognize

and it was him.       .       .

He quickly identified himself

and even before I could say

h       e       l       l       o

or ask him how he was doing

he  was  apologizing.     .     .

asking forgiveness for

not keeping in touch

talking about me behind my back

not being supportive when he knew I had been going through a particularly tough professional situation.       .       .

and then through broken sobs

he was asking if I and everyone I knew

could pray for his healing—

not his complete healing from the stroke,

just a partial healing that would allow him to play his music

on the piano and guitar

he often did for patients and families

and with a jazz group he would jam with

on Friday nights.          .          .

the  scab  gave  loose.        .        .

the callous

s        o        f        t        e        n        d

Sometimes it happens to me.        .        .

y  o  u ?

Sometimes my inner and outer

Caring Catalyst

gets scabbed

ok.          .          .

C        A         L        L        O        U        S        E        D;

Has that happened to you?

When was the last time?

Me?

It happened when

Humility    Dialed    A    Phone

and

I

a            n            s            w            e            r            e            d

the scab gave loose

the callous–

softened.           .          .

Me.        .        .        ?

h     u     m     b     l     y        

 c h a n g e d

The Happiness BEAST

By Leave a Comment

S i m p l e    Q u e s t i o n:

W H A T      M A K E S     Y O U     H A P P Y ?

A good Cigar

Some fine music 

Adult Beverage

A Book

A Beautiful Outside Setting

?               ?               ?               ?               ?

Not for everyone, huh?

Is there that overwhelming

100%

slam-dunk

one-size-fits-and-pleases-all

solution to

W          O          R          L          D

or

p e r s o n a l

H            A            P            P            I            N            E            S            S

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.       .        .

the answer might not

uhhhh make yoiu

h          a          p          p          y.             .             .

Maybe it’s just being overemphasized;

Did you know that

H A P P I N E S S

has it’s own it’s own

h     o     l     i     d     a     y ?

Just a few years ago

The General Assembly of the United Nations

proclaimed MARCH 20

to the be the

International Day of Happiness.       .       .

Oops.          .          .

I missed it;

I didn’t celebrate.          .          .

But it is easy to see why

H A P P I N E S S

is worth celebrating:

Happy people are healthier;

they get sick less often

THEY     LIVE     L O N G E R

Happy people have better realtionships

more friends

make more money

are more productive at work.     .     .

Based on decades of research

it’s become very clear

that Happiness is not just a personal issue;

it’s a matter of public health,

global economics

and natural well being

B           U          T

it’s subjective, isn’t it?

THE   GREATER   GOOD   SCIENCE   CENTER

(Yes, it really does exist–Google it)

They simply recommend through

S   C   I   E   N   T   I   F   I   C        S   T   U   D   Y

ACKNOWLEDGE    THE    GOOD

(WRITE DOWN 3 THINGS A DAY YOU ARE GRATEFUL )

ADD    HAPPINESS   THROUGH   SUBTRACTION 

(GIVE IT UP PRACTICE–GIVE UP WHAT YOU REALLY LIKE JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME SO YOU CAN APPRECIATE IT EVEN ALL THE MORE)

FIND MEANING AND PURPOSE

(TAKE PICTURES OF PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND LITERALLY JOURNAL FOR 15 MINUTES A DAY JUST ABOUT YOUR IDEAL FUTURE AND WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE)

USE   YOUR   STRENGTH

(PICK ONE OF YOUR STRENGTHS AND USE IT EXCLUSIVELY IN A NEW AND DIFFERENT WAY FOR A WEEK AND THEN ANOTHER AND THEN ANOTHER. . . )

CONNECT     WITH     OTHERS

(JUST DO FIVE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS A DAY–NOT OVER A WEEK, BUT A DAY FOR A WEEK; STUDIES SHOUT THAT WHEN YOU DO–GIVE–IT SIGNIFICANTLY MAKES YOU HAPPIER)

WHAT      REALLY     MAKES     YOU     HAPPY ?

It’s different for everyone

T       H       A       N       K       F       U       L       L       Y  

QUICK  ANSWER:

WHATEVER   FEEDS   YOUR   SOUL

but you’ve got to

ACTUALLY  FEED  YOUR  SOUL

it won’t happen

through osmosis 

IF HAPPINESS IS A TRAIN

YOU DON’T HAVE TO RIDE THE CABOOSE

OR JUST BE A PASSENGER

WATING TO GO TO THE DINING CAR

ENGINEER THAT TRAIN

AND TOOT-TOOT YOURSELF DOWN THE TRACK 

NOT TO HAPPINESS

BUT TO YOUR

S E V E N T H     H E A V E N 

SEE YOU AT THE STATION!

CHOOO-CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Quiet on the Set

By Leave a Comment

Is the W H O L E     W O R L D

a  Stage

or  just

Y     O     U ?

There could be an argument made

either way.     .     .

but before the Tony Awards

are passed out

and you hit all of the

Congratulatory Parties

lets take a look at

T            H            A            T

l    i    f    e:

Sometimes it’s not the

multiple scenes

the various acts

the witty dialogue

 the sensational

musical interludes

or even the much needed intermissions.     .     .

O          F          T          E          N

it’s those momentous

s     o     l     i     l     o     q     u     i     e     s  

that take their direction

from the inner chambers of the

h     e     a     r     t

or even more intimately

the depths of the soul

that makes any ocean appear

s              h               a              l              l              o              w

Sometimes.       .       .

it’s a scene of a blank stage

narrowly shot

ON  P U R P O S E

for effect to illustrate

just how much we block out the

p             e             r             i             p             h             e             r             y   

where some of the best action

a c t u a l l y

takes place;

maybe after all–

we’re all wondering if what happens behind the scenes

is more important–

more interesting

than anything that takes place

front

and

c  e  n  t  e  r;

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.          .          .

Quiet  on  the  Set

The Spotlight is on

and it’s catching little dust particles

floating around in the air

while it seeks you out

front and center

to illuminate

that the best scenes

are those

yet to be acted.          .          .

but don’t discount all of the other previous

p            a            n            o            r            a            m            a            s

e   a   c   h

have advanced the plot

for the most fantastic

A          C          T

of

N     O     W

Quiet   on   the   Set.          .          .

R     E     A     D     Y :

A                 C                 T                 I                 O                 N

(NO DO-OVER’S)

By Leave a Comment

https://youtu.be/b-xScLIevw0

LOVE   HAS  NO  LABELS.          .          .

if that were

ONLY     T R U E

if that were

ONLY  THE NORM

and not the

n     o     n     s     t     a     n     a     r     d

Love   Has   No   Labels

is a movement to open our eyes to there unconscious bias.     .     .

While the vast majority of Americans

consider themselves

UNPREJUDICED

many of us unintentionally make snap judgements

about people

based on what we see–

whether it’s

race

age

gender

religion

sexuality

or disability

By becoming aware of our own

b i a s e s

WE can work to end bias

in ourselves,

our families

our friends

our communities.       .       .

Hmmmmmmmmm of the DAY:

WE    NEED    AN    ORGANIZED    MOVEMENT

to show us we need

LOVE     WITH     NO     LABELS

Let’s make it this Simple:

Challenge that;

Inspire that;

Mirror that;

Share that;

B      E             T    H    A    T

(not often)

A L L  –  W A Y S !

http://thecaringcatalyst.com/2208-2/

The Glass That Doesn’t B R E A K

By Leave a Comment

Are   your   Endings

truly   your   Beginnings.     .     .     ?

It feels like an easy answer, doesn’t it?

Maybe this is what really makes us

H           U          M          A          N  ?

These ominous endings and beginnings. . .

these bend-over-laugh-till-you-throw-up-moments

and the I-can’t-stop-crying-instances;

Maybe it’s our insatiable curiosity

or our impending doom gloominess. . .

What makes us

H          U          M           A           N  ?

What makes you distinctively

human?

Your laugh.     .     .

Your sigh.     .     .

Your moods.     .     .

Your smile.     .     .

Your tears.     .     .

Your compassion.     .     .

Your empathy.     .     .

Your eyes.     .     .

Your facial features.     .     .

Your ability to question.     .     .

Your ability to answer.     .     .

what.          .          .what.          .          .w h a t.          .          .

makes          y     o     u           h u m a n ?

It’s enough to shatter your pretty glass, isn’t it?

Well in a World of

u n s u r e d n e s s 

here’s some fragile trustworthiness:

Your Glass may be shattered. . .but never broken

It’s   your

f      i      l      l      a      b       i      l      i      t      y

that’ll  make  sure  your  glass  is  never  fully  empty

a     n     d

by  the  way.          .          .

ohhhhhh      what     a     beautiful     g l a s s 

Raise it up high

y    o     u

are   a  

T              o              a              s              t    

well   worth   being   made

and

celebrated.

S        A        L        U        T        E

Professional Speaker, Author, Assurance Man