Brrrrrrr is Never in Season

December 19, 2022 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

A small Unitarian Universalist church choir in Black Mountain, North Carolina (The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley) began making videos for their online services as a response to the Covid pandemic in April of 2020. Their choir director, Annelinde Metzner, used her experience as a compose and arranger to make videos using Garage Band and I-Movies, with rehearsals and recordings on Zoom. “We Are Lights” (The Chanukah Song) is a song for Chanukah that their choir performed in December 2021, with lyrics by Steve Young, music by Stephen Schwartz, and a 2006 arrangement by Mac Huff. They have added their own photographs symbolizing “Light” which give the words poignancy. . .and inspired the rest of this blog post celebrating the beginning of Chanukah and Christmas week:

It is THE Season of Lights. . .
Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:
L I G H T
is always in Season.
I love stories,
especially ones that start out:
THE STORY IS TOLD. . .
that there were six people trapped by pure Chance in the darkest of darks and the coldest of colds– but not without a
G R E A T S O L U T I O N
Each person, all six of them, had a stick of wood. . .
SO THE STORY IS TOLD. . .
Their dying fire needed just one thing as they huddled around it:
L O G S !

One woman who had a Stick wasn’t about to give her’s up. As she shivered and huddled around that dying fire, that dimming light, she was still able to see the faces huddled/shivering being illuminated and because one of those faces was Black, there’s no way she was going to give up her stick to warm THAT face up

There was another sitting around that dying fire and saw the face of one who’s mouth talked about a God he didn’t quite believe, there’s no way he was going to give up his stick to warm THAT face who’s mouth talked of a different
belief. . .

The third one sat there around that dying fire in tattered clothes pulled the well worn coat closer and more secure around him as he muttered under his breath, “There ain’t no way I’m giving my Stick to this fire to warm these Highfalutin rich folks,” .

There was a rich man who just sat and thought of the wealth he had in store, and how to keep what he had earned from all of these lazy, shiftless poor; he would not be giving up the Stick he rightly earned. . .

The Black man’s face was frowned all up in revenge as he held on to his Stick even while the fire was flickering its very last flame; no way he was giving up that stick to people who had oppressed and kept he and his ancestors down. It was spite that made him hold that Stick almost as a weapon; serves these White folks right. . .

The last man in this group, shivering harder now in the barely glowing embers, firmly believed you give ONLY IF FIRST GIVEN TO, so his cold hands held his even colder stick and would stay that way since no one else was going to offer up their Sticks.

THE STORY IS TOLD. . .

S I X L O G S . . .

Six Logs held by six different
UN-SHARING
people who died. . .
w h o
WOULD RATHER DIE
than to
S H A R E. . .

The Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm of the Season
is that they died not from the
Cold and the Dark
but something the much,
much worse:
The Cold and The Dark
I N S I D E
It is the Season of Lights. . .
Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:
L I G H T
is always in Season
A single little ember can Light a miracle. . .

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_0340-768x1024.jpg

There are many
CANDLE BLOWERS
OUT AND IN
T H E R E
Keep an inner Candle lit
so that the Miracle in your life
can find its way home again and not only
E N L I G T E N. . .
b u t
W A R M O T H E R S
along the way. . .
Eliminate
B R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
from ever having a Season. . .

A n y
L I G H T
that Shines
not only illuminates a path
. . .It Warms a Heart

BE A SEASON OF LIGHT
(if not always–o f t e n)
(BETTER STILL: ONE THAT NEVER ENDS!)

BE AN EVERLASTING
LIFESTYLE OF
L I G H T

Your Groundhog’s SHADOW

February 2, 2022 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Whether we wanted to or not
we celebrated
(ok, observed)
GROUNDHOG DAY
yesterday
which always brings to mind
the 1993 movie starring
Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell
which finds him reliving the same day
over and over again
when as a weatherman
he goes on location to the small town of
P U N X S U T A W N E Y
to film a report about their annual Groundhog Day.
His predicament drives him to distraction
until he sees a way of turning the situation
to his advantage. . .
A CLASSIC
which has had us not only
sarcastically sighing,
“THIS FEELS LIKE GROUNDHOG DAY”
during our way-too-long-pandemic. . .
and it’s done a little to maybe
help us recognize
not so much our own personal
GROUNDHOG DAY
as we dare catch a glimpse of
OUR SHADOW. . .

Here could be the big
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm of it all:

Know Yourself by Knowing Your Shadow

Understanding Carl Jung’s Concept of The Shadow. . .

I recently perused an article by Brenden Weber that pulled back the curtain on THE SHADOW

Have you ever wondered, how well do you really know yourself? As Plato once said, “know thyself.”

But why?

Typically, when we contemplate whether we know ourselves, the thoughts that come into our minds are our desires, values, and beliefs about the universe. These characteristics we form around ourselves is our code; something the “I” we create for ourselves identifies with. That saying, ‘every man has a code,’ we all do. You have a code that you see the world through and make decisions with, it’s the conscious ego. That code is customizable and changeable.

But what can we do with this awareness? We can ask ourselves, who am I? That’s really the most reliable thing you have, knowing yourself.

We all create this belief system we follow — the identity of you — that is your moral code, your sense of duty, your sense of purpose; the identity that becomes the driving force for action.

But is that truly you?

Ask yourself, have you ever done or said anything — on impulse — that you regretted afterward? You get frustrated and down on yourself — you scream in your head, “why did I say that?” And if that doesn’t relate, think of a time where you had this sudden emotional reaction — out of anger — that had you wondering, why couldn’t I control my emotions? My anger.

Those moments are us coming face to face with our shadow self.

The Shadow

As psychologist Carl Jung said:

“The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.”

The shadow within all of us is the parts of us we deny in ourselves and cast out into our own inner abyss. That abyss is the place within ourselves that our conscious ego has tried to forget about. We lock it up and throw away the key, yet it’s still there screaming, yelling, and demanding control over your actions.

Seeing the shadow within us is difficult, it’s in that black abyss of our mind that is difficult to enter, as it’s hard to face.

Yet, the judgmental creatures that we humans are, we are good at seeing those shadow traits in others, but not ourselves.

Think of your favorite celebrities and public figures. When a story of cheating in a relationship, corruption, or simply a public display of anger from one of them, the public quickly moves to pass judgment.

This judgment is a reaction that protects us from admitting to ourselves that those thoughts, reactions, and emotions lie within us. This idea is what Jung calls “projection.”

You see, our conscious mind wants to avoid our own shadow, yet our subconscious wants us to acknowledge that abyss of the shadow self, but instead of going into the abyss of our minds — our own shadow — we project and amplify the flaws of others.

We notice these shadow traits of aggression, carelessness, materialism, hatred, envy in the projections we create of others. But that projection becomes a reflection of you: a denial of the perceived inferior qualities and evils that we do not want to admit is deep within us.

We set our conscious mind on the throne of our ego.

Imagine that throne being a giant iceberg, your ego is the tip floating above the water, but that unconscious mind is where the shadow lurks in the endless mountain of ice that lies beneath.

To understand this, imagine a time you had a friend confront you about a fault, something as simple as arriving late to everything. When confronted you are met with this overwhelming rage for a moment. That rage is from your friend hitting the iceberg beneath the surface, the nerves you weren’t aware of, thus lack control of.

For Jung, when we deny the shadow, the more control it has of your thoughts, actions, and reactions.

As he said:

“everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.”

Those projections are ways of passing blame for those perceived negative emotions we have ourselves. If we are not aware this is happening, we project our negative traits upon others, blaming them for our own shortcomings and our own lack of personal happiness.

So how do we work with our shadow?

For one, we must become aware of it — dive into the abyss with it — and integrate it into the whole of our conscious ego. If we deny the shadow, we allow it to control us while providing our ego the illusion of control.

We must identify possible origins for our shadow triggers, such as repressed trauma, pain, fear, and aggression.

We must then integrate our shadow by acknowledging those parts in our everyday lives. With this knowledge of those parts, only then can we unlock the wisdom that being aware of it brings.

So instead of allowing fear to control us, we choose courage; instead of pain, we see an opportunity for strength; instead of allowing the trauma to define us, we see it as an opportunity for understanding; instead of allowing aggression to overcome us, we see an opportunity to find our passion.

This understanding bleeds into our interactions with others, instead of meeting other shadows with our own irrational shadow, we meet it with compassion by knowing it’s a trigger they’ve not fully understood and integrated into themselves.

Jung said beautifully about what integrating your shadow into the whole can bring:

“Such a man knows that whatever is wrong in the world is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow he has done something real for the world. He has succeeded in shouldering at least an infinitesimal part of the gigantic, unsolved social problems of our day.”

You see, changing the world begins with knowing yourself. . .
R I G H T ?
Hey. . .
GROUNDHOG DAY
is already in the rearview mirror
for another year
but THE SHADOW. . .
I know sometimes it feels like we live Groundhog Day
every day just like the movie. . .
and even though we most likely know
that’s not exactly true
When is there a day
that we don’t ever live
without our shadow. . . ?

The ones we make
the ones we create
the ones we try to hide from
and certainly
the ones we don’t always want to notice—
Those Shadows
The real kicker
is most of the time
we don’t actually acknowledge
that it takes light to make the shadow. . .

That too
can be self created
manufactured,
recognized,
acknowledged
and lived in. . .
The Shadow’s purpose
may not always have meaning
may not always feel like it has a purpose—
look closer. . .
See what the shadow is actually shading
but never quite masking. . .

. . .and know your
Personal Power Source
not only not only enables
but pleads

STAINED g L a S s

April 2, 2021 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

May I live this day
Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.

JOHN O’DONOHUE

Excerpt from ‘Matins’ in his books, Benedictus (Europe) /
To Bless the Space Between Us (US)

Stained for good

Jagged uneven pieces
Discarded for garbage
Hardly pieces of art
Until the Light

Explodes me instantaneously
To a panoramic brilliance of beams
That eyes can only merely see
But souls understand
experience
Creating me
STAINED FOR GOOD
Assuring
that even a space
that once held a tinged altarpiece
still lets in Light

Shadow-Thrower

March 22, 2019 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

S c a r e d ?

E v e r ?

I remember I didn’t sleep so well as a little kid,

hmmmmmmmmmmm,

s t i l l d o n ‘ t. . .

When I laid in bed at night,

l a t e,

when everyone else and the World

was sleeping, i

t was then I’d see them:

S H A D O W S

Now we all don’t know what

T H E S H A D O W K N O W S,

do we?

. . .but we do know

M O R E !

We know that the SHADOW

can never hurt us,

in fact,

can only really ever bother,

bug,

pester us

when we not so much allow it entrance,

but actually be the Key-Keeper to our imagination. . .

I d i d. . .

I made it real easy for the Shadow. . .

I not only gave it a key,

I took the door off it’s hinges. . .

Every night. . .

until that night;

That night was different. . .

That night after everyone was sound asleep

and I lay there awake,

I saw THE SHADOW again. . .

G U L P

We were staring each other down;

I could swear I saw it move,

taunting me,

making fun of me and I knew right then,

very clearly I had three solid choices:

1) I c o u l d S c r e a m
2) I c o u l d R u n
3) I c o u l d t r y t o m a k e i t t o m y p a r e n t s r o o m. . .

. . .and then,

the L i g h t i n g hit!

Literally,

the Lightning from a Summer-middle-of-the-night-storm,

lit up the room

and every time it did it

T H E S H A D O W

would disappear. . .

Yet,

O P T I O N N U M B E R 4

was the best one of all:

Shadow’s actually need light to make a Shadow

and LIGHT is what obliterates them. . .

I became a SHADOW-THROWER that night,

and every night since. . .

. . .Amazing how little the Shadow knows

. . .or ever did. . .

Even more Amazing,

how much we do and will. . .

If________________. . .

Pay A T T E N T I O N, Class:

Bring your Light

to Some One’s Shadow–

It ceases to exist. . .

Now,

T H A T ‘ S P O W E R

and it’s

Y O U R ‘ S

to yield. . .

or worse yet,

n o t. . .

N i g h t

A BRUTAL COLD

January 30, 2019 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

The FORECASTS

are now becoming

NOW CASTS

and it’s freezing

l i t e r a l l y

with the high being a balmy -1 below zero

NOT COUNTING THE WIND CHILL. . .

and it on the cellular level has huge consequences

that we hopefully will never have to experience

but maybe need to understand any way

Here we are bracing for their coldest temperatures in decades today and the rest of this week with conditions predicted to feel like 50 degrees below zero or colder in areas of the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa, . Temperatures in Chicago are also predicted to dip below negative 25 for the first time since the mid-1980s, AccuWeather says.

Health officials have warned residents to stay indoors as much as possible, since the brutal cold in just minutes. But what actually happens to your body in the frigid air? TIME asked Dr. Ronald Furnival, a pediatric emergency physician and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Almost as soon as you step outside, your body starts to siphon blood flow away from your extremities to focus on keeping your brain and internal organs warm. That’s why your fingers, toes and ears tend to get cold before your core, Furnival says.

“The blood vessels would start to contract and reduce blood flow” to areas including the face, ears, nose and fingers as a “defense mechanism” against extreme cold, Furnival says.

For most people, at least in the short-term, this adjustment is pretty harmless. But Furnival says people with preexisting heart conditions may be at risk of complications associated with these blood pressure changes, especially if they try to do strenuous outdoor activity like shoveling snow.

After a few minutes

In extreme cold, frostbite — or the freezing of skin and underlying tissues — can start to set in after just five to 15 minutes outside, Furnival says. The process can be especially quick if your skin is wet, or if you’re not properly covered up with hats, gloves and boots, in addition to warm clothing.

“Exposed extremities and digits and things can get frostbite fairly quickly,” Furnival says. “If there’s a strong wind and the weather’s pretty cold and the windchill is pretty low, then it goes a lot faster.” Risk of frostbite intensifies whenever the temperature drops below five degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Mayo Clinic, and becomes especially pronounced when cold and wind cause temperatures to fall below negative 16.6 degrees.

While mild to moderate frostbite can be reversed with warm water and blankets, severe frostbite can lead to permanent or long-lasting damage in the affected area. Signs of frostbite include a prickling feeling, followed by numbness and changes in the skin’s color and appearance. It may turn pale, red or blue, or take on a waxy look, according to the Mayo Clinic.

After 30 minutes

Furnival says signs of hypothermia, or a core body temperature that falls below 95 degrees, can surface after just 30 minutes to an hour in frigid temperatures.

“You start to have some decrease in your central temperature, so you can have some mild hypothermia to moderate hypothermia develop,” Furnival says. “People might start to feel confused and start to slur their words and start to have some neurologic changes. Some of the central core organs might be affected, so they might have problems with rapid heart rate and even worsening of the extremities, if blood flow is further reduced to those extremities.”

Furnival says individuals with preexisting medical conditions and children, who have less insulation, are at particular risk. But everybody, even otherwise healthy adults, should be aware of these dangers and take appropriate precautions, Furnival says.

“Cover up as well as you can with hats and gloves and mittens and boots and warm clothing, and then limit your exposure outside,” he recommends. “It’s okay to go outside, but you have to prepare for it, and you have to be coming in periodically to warm back up.”

Brutal Cold. . .

But is it the worst kind of
C O L D
experienced. . . ?

. . .Maybe the worst
the most
B R U T A L K I N D O F C O L D
comes from us
A L L
W H O H O L D
T H E L I G H T
W H O C O N T A I N S
T H E W A R M T H
and actually refuses to share it
or only shares it
with a
s e l e c t e d f e w

Can it be
T H A T
s i m p l e
o r
T H A T
d i f f i c u l t. . .

Maybe with the
C O L D
it’s not so much time to
B U N D L E U P
but a true opportunity to
O P E N U P

TO ALL
FOR ALL
BECAUSE OF ALL

Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.

SHINING LIGHTS

December 3, 2018 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

It’s usually the first thing that comes to mind

when someone says:

H A N U K K A H

Adam Sandler and his famous song. . .

now don’t be fooled,

usually it’s the SEASON OF LIGHT is

s i l e n t

Sometimes the greatest message come with the tune without a lyric. . .

a n d

Sometimes it’s good to just listen to The Message that’s not spoken

but absolutely

H E A R D. . .

Hanukkah began at sunset last evening. . .

mere hours a way, still. . .

The message of Hanukkah is one that spans generations and touches on the very foundation of Jewish continuity; it began with Sunset last night;

Can HANUKKAH

teach us all a lesson we really need to learn?

1. Even on the coldest nights, the menorah will always burn bright.

Credit: Dominic Alves.

2. Our children will pass HANUKKAH on to their children, who will pass it on to their children . . . forever. . .

IF WE ACTUALLY TEACH THEM THAT LIGHT OBLITERATES DARKNESS ON EVERY LEVEL!

Credit: Mordechai Lightstone

3. Even after the greatest destruction, we continue to kindles the lights.

Photo: Serge Attal/Flash90

Terrorists could not stop Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg from lighting the menorah in Mumbai, India, where his daughter and son-in-law had been murdered just weeks earlier.

4. It brings light, and light pushes away so much darkness.

Credit: Thierry Guez

The Jews in Paris, France, even after the most horrific terror attacks, were not frightened to live and celebrate as proud Jews.

5. When a small menorah stood for justice and freedom . . .

6. . . . even after all else was seemingly destroyed.

Jews in the Westerbork transit camp in Holland light candles on the seventh night of Hanukkah. Some 106,000 Jews, including Anne Frank and her family, were deported from Holland to death camps in Poland through Westerbork.

7. And we lived to see the lights return to illuminate the world once more.

A giant menorah is kindled at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

8. Brave young men and women risked their lives to ensure that Jewish people will live in safety and security in generations past . . .

Credit: Micha Bar-Am.

Israeli soldiers around the Hanukkah lamp in the bunker on the Suez Canal, 1971.

9. . . .and on to the present day.

Credit: Meir Alfasi.

10. So that we may celebrate in freedom!

Hanukkah & Giving Thanks

Hanukkah is a special time for us to say thank You for all the little and big miracles in our lives. When we look into the beautiful, pure flames of the candles we remember that no day is just another day. There are blessings around all of us every moment, just waiting for us to notice them.

This year during Hanukkah, consider the following three ways to say thank you. (And not only on Thanksgiving.)

1. Write a letter.

In a recent experiment, people were asked to write a short paragraph about someone who had transformed their lives. After they wrote the paragraph, the experimenter handed them a phone and told them to call the person that they just wrote about and read them what they had just written. Some of them didn’t know the number. Some people went to cemeteries to read their letter at the gravesite of the person they hoped could hear their appreciation. Others reached the person they wrote about and broke down crying as they read their words out loud.

Across the board, the participants’ happiness levels rose by as much as 20 percent just from this exercise. So try writing a short Hanukkah card or email to someone that changed your life. It’s best if you send it, but even just writing it reminds us how blessed we are to have inspiring people in our lives.

2. Keep a gratitude journal.

On each day of Hanukkah, write down three new things that you are grateful for each day. This trains our brains to search for the positive in our lives. After a month of keeping a gratitude journal, people begin to think more optimistically and clearly. They stop constantly scanning the environment for the negative, and they notice others’ strengths instead of their weaknesses. The half hour after lighting the candles is a special time for thinking about the new blessings of today. Share them with your family as you sit around the menorah. We look into the flames shining with hope, and we remember our own ability to turn darkness into light.

3. Act gratefully.

Do one small act of kindness each day of Hanukkah. Open a door for someone. Leave a note somewhere that will make someone smile. Pay for the person’s coffee who is behind you in line. Take a coat you never wear and give it to someone on the street. Give an anonymous donation. Smile. Send a Hanukkah gift to someone who needs it. These small actions increase our own feelings of gratitude and create a chain of kindness.

4. JUST BECAUSE SOME ONE FOR THE NEXT 8 DAYS

Maybe you’ll be in front of someone in line at a drive thru Starbucks

You could be so creative with this. . .

whether it be

Send an anonymous gift card

or leaving an envelope of money

or bringing candy or cookies on the porch

or putting money in a parking meter of someone’s who’s about to expire

or being a SECRET SANTA when there’s no secret Santa Party. . .

Here’s the DEAL:

THE C E L E B R A T I O N O F L I G H T S

can last way past 8 nights

or 365 Days

I F

you just don’t so much want

but simply

A L L O W

Here’s the Simple Message:

Let’s not be about

L I G H T I N G C A N D L E S

so much as

I L L U M I N A T I N G L I V E S

T H E L I G H T

Y O U C A R R Y

I S A L S O

T H E B E A M

Y O U S H A R E

Light a Life

Warm a Heart

Illuminate A Soul

Obliterate A Darkness

S H I N E

Even a

F L I C K E R

G L O W S

A STAR IS BORN

October 15, 2018 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Top selling movie over the past couple of weeks. . .

A third remake of

A S T A R I S B O R N

The worst thing about

A S T A R I S B O R N

isn’t a movie critic’s bad review

or petty criticisms. . .

The worst thing about

A S T A R I S B O R N

is N O T

r e c o g n i z i n g

the STAR BORN IN YOU

never quite noticing

or passing over

d i s r e g a r d i n g

your talents

your dreams

your aspirations

your essence

Because of Someone Else’s

o p i n i o n

or lack of one

about youYou are not a firecracker

that’s mere lit and momentarily sparkles

or a nub of a candle almost burnt out

so much as a

d i a m o n d

s h i n i n g a l w a y s

refusing to be seen

or s h o w n

. . .d i s p l a y e d

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:

O P E N Y O U R E Y E S

BE BLINDED

BY YOUR OWN

L I G H T

and then

S H I N E

e v e n b r i g h t e r

The Instrument of YOU

July 16, 2018 By ChuckBehrens 2 Comments

Just what kind of an

I N S T R U M E N T

are You?

St Francis of Assisi

prayed a timeless,

an ageless

prayer

that asked us—

you

to be

I n s t r u m e n t s :

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying the we are born to eternal life.

T R U T H ?

No matter what kind of Instrument

You are. . .

You are utterly useless

on a seat

a shelf

encased for protection. . .

but in the Right Hands

and the Right Use

a magnificent

w a l k i n g

t a l k i n g

S Y M P H O N Y

You Are. . .

Be T H A T

c o n t i n o u s l y

more often

than n o t

Being a PLURAL

January 26, 2018 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Lots of Questions, huh. . .

Maybe none bigger

Maybe none more important

T H A N :

W H I C H O N E ?

If you could only choose just one of your P U R P O S E S

If you could only choose just one of your R E A S O N S

If you could only choose just one of your M E A N I N G S

If you could only choose just one of your D E S T I N I E S

WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

What would be your criteria for choosing?

Would you go Simple. . .

Would you go Challenging. . .

Sitting on the Fence never got anyone much but a hole in their pants

and a sore R U M P. . .

Does your P L A N A

include the Possibilities

of O T H E R O P T I O N S

Minister
Chaplain
Officiant
Professional Speaker
Writer
Published Author
Counselor
Husband
Father
Grandfather
Son
Brother
Uncle
Friend

These are the roles that pop into my own head

and occupy my life

on a daily basis

and if I had to be

S I N G U L A R

and not be a

P L U R A L

which one would I pick. . .

not so much which one would I hone in on. . .

which ONE would I eliminate. . .

which ONE would I unravel

not only from my own multicolored Tapestry

but from the fabric of so many other lives

who have intermeshed with my own. . .

SHOULD I PUT IT TO A VOTE. . .

and just who are the proper Constituents

to the

U N I V E R S E o f C H U C K

Does the Sea

in all of it’s vastness

just lap the SHORE

O N C E

. . .which wave is the most important one

. . .which wave is the least of all the others

Life is never counted by Candles on a Cake. . .

but by M O M E N T S

M O M E N T S

that don’t compete with another to yell out

I AM THE GREATEST. . .

M O M E N T S

that are threads to the

MOSAIC OF ME

We don’t have to CHOOSE

WE JUST HAVE TO UTILIZE

and the best part:

You don’t have to PICK PLURAL

you just have to simply embrace it. . .

HAPPINESS IS IN YOUR HANDS

to h o l d

to s h a r e

to r e c o g n i z e

Sometimes. . .

The biggest

M I S S — T A K E

is waiting for the L I G H T

to TURN ON

without ever recognizing

it’s never been

O F F

. . .It’s not enough to embrace

YOUR PLURALITY. . .

S H A R E I T

(o f t e n)

in all of It’s

W A Y S

INSIGNIFICANT s i g n i f i c a n c e

January 19, 2018 By ChuckBehrens Leave a Comment

Ever feel insignificant?

Ever feel as insignificant as a

F E R RU L E. . .

You know. . .

a F E R R U L E:

noun/fer – rule\’fer-el, fe-rel\

: A ring or a cap usually of metal put around a slender shaft (such as a cane or a tool handle) to strengthen it or prevent splitting;

: A usually metal sleeve used especially for joining or binding one part to another (such as pipe sections or the bristles and handle of a brush)

fer-ruled \fe-eld, fe-reld\ adjective

ORIGIN:
alteration of Middle English virole, from the Latin viriola, bracelet, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish fair oblique.

FIRST KNOWN USE: 1611

Ever feel like a FERRULE

or even a basket full of them. . .

Seriously. . .

did you even know that band around a pencil

was ever really called a FERRULE

or for that matter, even had a name?

Talk about INSIGNIFICANCE. . .

TALK ABOUT FEELING INSIGNIFICANCE
or having it personified

B U T

that’s not

Y O U. . .

I F

the Ferrule

has a purpose

of being a metal band

that cinch around the bases

of erasers

and it actually has a name

a distinct purpose

how in our wildest imaginations

and unleashed understandings

can we fathom

N O T

having a purpose

having a menaing

having a destiny

having a reason

So get at I T

Isn’t that the ONE thing that makes us severely

S I G N I F I C A N T

that YOU are actually not just redirectable

but utterly RE-DEFINABLE

YOU get instant DO-OVER’S

of yourself any time

Y O U C H O O S E. . .

and more:

YOU are a SPARK

WHO is utterly inextinguishable

setting off bonfires in others

. . .that’s SIGNIFICANT

and more. . .

uhhhhhhhh. . .

much more than a shiny band of metal securing an eraser to a pencil

and more. . .

The greatest thing about each one of us is that

A L I F E T I M E

can not only be lived in

A M O M E N T

but a L I F E

can forever be changed in that very moment:

S I G N I F I C A N T

and more. . .

I N S I G N I F I C A N T

O R

S I G N I F I C A N T. . .

not even a thought. . .

and then again. . .

much more a mere concept:

The Significance of YOU

Know Yourself by Knowing Your Shadow

Understanding Carl Jung’s Concept of The Shadow. . .

The Shadow

So how do we work with our shadow?

After a few minutes

After 30 minutes

1. Even on the coldest nights, the menorah will always burn bright.

2. Our children will pass HANUKKAH on to their children, who will pass it on to their children . . . forever. . .

IF WE ACTUALLY TEACH THEM THAT LIGHT OBLITERATES DARKNESS ON EVERY LEVEL!

3. Even after the greatest destruction, we continue to kindles the lights.

4. It brings light, and light pushes away so much darkness.

5. When a small menorah stood for justice and freedom . . .

6. . . . even after all else was seemingly destroyed.

7. And we lived to see the lights return to illuminate the world once more.

8. Brave young men and women risked their lives to ensure that Jewish people will live in safety and security in generations past . . .

9. . . .and on to the present day.

10. So that we may celebrate in freedom!

1. Write a letter.

2. Keep a gratitude journal.

3. Act gratefully.

4. JUST BECAUSE SOME ONE FOR THE NEXT 8 DAYS

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