Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

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One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching fish.

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. “You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman, “you should be working rather than lying on the beach!” The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?”

“Well, you can can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling. The business man replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!” “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again.

The business man was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said. “And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.

The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!” Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?”

The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I am doing right now?

Thought to Ponder

“Be content with what you have.

Rejoice in the way things are.

When you realize there is nothng lacking.

The whole world belongs to you.”

~Lao Tzu

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

Heart Tales News

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

**********

Socks On, Socks Off.

I was frustrated, tired, and angry. As I pulled the socks off her gnarly, butt-ugly, misshapen, and scaly feet I gave I gave them a vigorous yank. I grumbled to myself that this was supposed to be my wife’s job, pulling socks on and off her ninety-year-old mother’s feet. But my wife was in the hospital suffering from dehydration, kidney problems, and a swollen, painful knee. So I was caring for her mother while Carol was laid up.

Several weeks later I found myself pulling elastic support hose and socks on and off my wife’s feet too. Carol was out of the hospital but her knee continued to pain her and now her hip was hurting too. Her legs and ankles were swelling so she needed to wear elastic support hose to keep the swelling down. Her knee and hip problems prevented her from pulling on her own stockings. So now my morning and evening routines included hosing and de-hosing two people. In between “socks on” and “socks off,” I was working ten hour days and taking care of all the household chores. My weariness, frustration, and anger continued to build and my sock yanking became even more intense.

One morning after, after pulling socks, I was sitting at my desk before leaving for work, learning Matthew 25:31-46 by heart. I was preparing for my first Biblical storytelling videotape which would be critiqued as part of my work for the Academy of Biblical Storytelling conducted by the Network of Biblical Storytellers. I recited verses 37 - 40 out loud:

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”

And my eyes were opened. Those gnarly, butt-ugly, misshapen, and scaly feet of my mother-in-law were the feet of Jesus. Those swollen feet of my wife were the feet of Jesus. I had been pulling socks on and off Jesus. I began to weep.When my tears were gone so were my anger and frustration. Left in their place was gratitude for the privilege of pulling socks on, socks off the feet of Jesus.

Thought to Ponder

“Lord, when was it that we saw you…”

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

Heart Tales News

What’s on My Desk..

The Bible in Ancient and Modern Media, edited by Holly E. Hearon and Philip Ruge-Jones. A book of essays on what the discipline of performance criticism contributes to our understanding of the Bible.

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

**********

A Christmas Parable

Abba Abraham was a holy man and a great ascetic. He had eaten nothing but herbs and roots for fifty years. He lived simply and very austerely in total self-discipline.

Well, his brother died and left a niece, and there was no one to care for her. So Abba Abraham took her in and nourished her and cherished her. She grew up to be beautiful both in body and in spirit. She followed Abraham, prayed with him, and was filled with grace.

One day a wandering monk came to hear a word from Abba Abraham and was smitten by the beauty of his niece. While taking advantage of the hospitality offered by Abba Abraham, who was out visiting other monks, he was overcome by lust and raped the poor girl.

She was so mortified and ashamed that she stayed away from Abba Abraham and in fact fled to the city where, feeling so violated and disgraced, she became a prostitute.

In vain did Abba Abraham look for his niece, until he heard one day that she was plying her trade at a certain tavern. Abba Abraham disguised himself as a military man with all the regalia, went to the tavern and ordered bottles of wine and rich meet. He ate to his heart’s content, downed it all to the amazement of the onlookers.

After he finished his dinner, he asked the keeper for the “wench” named Mary: I have come a long way for the love of Mary.” She was brought to him and she did not recognize this hard eating and drinking soldier. He grabbed her and she said coquettishly, “What do you want?”

And he looked her in the eyes and said, “I have come along way for the love of Mary” –and she recognized her uncle and she wept bitterly and returned home with him.

Thought to Ponder

Jesus came a long way for the love of (your name here).

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

Heart Tales News

What’s on My Desk..

Storytelling, Imagination, and Faith, by William J. Bausch. Bausch argues for a recovery of storytelling in the church and gives a plethora of stories to demonstrate his points.

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

**********

Androcles & the Lion

A slave named Androcles escaped from his master and fled to the forest.

As he was wandering about there he came upon a lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the lion did not pursue him, he turned back and went up to him.

As he came near, the lion put out his paw, which was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thorn had gotten into it, and was causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a dog.

Then the lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day used to bring him meat from which to live. But shortly afterwards both Androcles and the lion were captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the lion, after the latter had been kept without food for several days.

The Emperor and all his court came to see the spectacle, and Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as he came near to Androcles he recognized his friend, and fawned upon him, and licked his hands like a friendly dog.

The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned Androcles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave was pardoned and freed, and the lion let loose to his native forest.

Thought to Ponder

Gratitude Pays It Forward. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

Heart Tales News

Where’s Jim At?

December 5, 1:30- 4:00 PM Mt. St. Mary’s House of Prayer, Watchung, NJ. “Advent Day of Reflection”

December 6, 13, 20 - 9:30-10:30 AM Presbyterian Church of Westfield Life Long Learners. “Advent: Preparing for Jesus”

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

Blog

If you enjoy this newsletter, check out The Heart Tales Blog at http://hearttales.net/blog. The blog is published every Monday and Thursday. Check out the current series on “Peace that Lasts” .

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

**********

What Do You Have to Offer?

A wise man arrived at the village of Akbar and the people paid no attention to him. Except for a small group of young people, the wise man was of no interest to anyone; on the contrary, he became an object of irony for inhabitants of the city.

One day he was walking down the main street with some of his disciples when a group of men and women began to insult him. The wise man went up to them and blessed them.

When they left, one of the disciples remarked: “They say terrible things, and you answer them with nice words.”

And the wise man replied: “Each one of us can only offer what he has.”

Thought to Ponder

What do I have to offer today?

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

Heart Tales News

What’s On My Desk…

Tales & Transformations.Stories in Families and Family Therapy, by Janine Roberts. This book describes how stories can be used with families to move them forward toward understanding their family dynamics and healing their hurts.

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

Blog

If you enjoy this newsletter, check out The Heart Tales Blog at http://hearttales.net/blog. The blog is published every Monday and Thursday. Check out the current series on “Peace that Lasts” .

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

**********

The Chess Game

 A young man said to the abbot from the monastery, “I’d actually like to be a monk, but I haven’t lerned anything in life. All my father taught me was to play chess, which does not lead to enlightenment. Apart from that, I learned that all games are a sin.”

“They may be a sin but they can also be a diversion, and who knows, this monastery needs a little of both,” was the reply.

The abbot asked for a chess board, and sent for a monk, and told him to play with the young man.

But before the game began, he added, “Although we need diversion, we cannot allow everyone to play chess the whole time. So, we have the best players here; if our monk loses, he will leave the monastery and his place will be yours.”

The abbot was serious. The young man knew he was playing for his life, and broke into a cold sweat; the chessboard became the center of the world.

The monk played badly. The young man attacked, but then saw the saintly look on the other man’s face; at that moment, he began playing badly on purpose. After all, a monk is far more useful to the world.

Suddenly, the abbot threw the chessboard to the floor.

“You have learned fare more than was taught you,” he said. “You concentrated yourself enough to win, were capable of fighting for your deisre. Then, you had compassion, and were willing to make a sacrifice in the name of a noble cause. Welcome to the monastery, because you know how to balance discipline with compassion.”

Thought to Ponder

Do I know how to balance discipline with compassion?

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

Heart Tales News

What’s On My Desk…

Story Journey, by Thomas E. Boomershine, offers a series of biblical stories to be learned and explored in a variety of ways. Each story is printed in episodes to facilitate memorization. Exegetical comments are offered, with references to good commentaries that explain the meaning of the story in the original context. Each chapter also includes suggestions about ways to connect the story with contemporary experience and to pray the story.

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

Blog

If you enjoy this newsletter, check out The Heart Tales Blog at http://hearttales.net/blog. The blog is published every Monday and Thursday. Check out the current series on Accepting the Broken.

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

**********

The Knuckleheads

Mark made a fortune during the dot-com explosion in the 1990’s. Mark had two sons, Matthew, his older son, and Michael, his younger son. One day Michael said to his father, “Dad, I don’t want to wait for you to die to get my inheritance. Give it to me now!”

So with a heavy heart, Mark estimated his net worth and then divided it evenly between Matthew and Michael.

A couple of weeks later, Michael pulled all of his money out of the bank, hopped on a jet for Cancun, and partied his way up and down the coast of Mexico.

After he had spent all he had, a recession hit the United States and Mexico and Michael found himself on the streets, homeless. He searched everywhere fro a job but no one wanted to hire a gringo.

Finally, Michael managed to find some day labor working in fields picking melons. He wished he could swipe one of the melons to eat but the foreman watched all the laborers like a hawk, especially the gringo.

One day, as he sat in the hot sun resting for a moment, he thought to himself, “What a knucklehead I am! If I was back living with my father I’d have plenty to eat, a soft bed to sleep in, and money in my pocket. Here I am barely surviving hand to mouth, sleeping in a cardboard box in a back alley in town. Even my father’s servants live better than me now. I’m going to go back to my father and tell him that I screwed up. I’ll ask him to let me wash and polish his fleet of Bentleys to earn my keep. So Michael got up, walked to the highway, and began hitchhiking home.

The journey was long and hard. Since he left in the middle of the day he was not paid and had no money. Michael bummed money for MacDonald’s burgers from people who picked him up. At night, he slept in bushes by the side of the road. At last, after weeks of traveling up through Mexico into the United States and across the country, he came to his street.

As he began walking down the street, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran down the street in his three piece Christian Dior suit, threw his arms around Michael and hugged him.

Michael said to his father, “Dad, I’ve screwed up and brought shame to our family. Let me…

But Mark shouted to his assistant, “Quick! Bring my Armani suit and put it on him. Put a Rolex on his wrist and Testoni shoes on his feet. Put some prime rib on the grill and bring out the Asti Spumanti. Let’s have a barbecue and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead to me and is alive again. He was lost and is found.” So they began to party.

 Meanwhile, Matthew was at his father’s factory doing inventory. When he drove up the driveway in his Mercedes he heard through the open window “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang blaring from a boom box in the backyard. So he called one of his father’s assistants and asked her what was going on. “Michael, your brother, has come home,” he replied, and “your father is grilling prime rib and popping bottles of Asti Spumanti left and right because he has him back safe and sound.”

Matthew became angry and refused to go in. So Mark came out and pleaded with him. But Matthew answered his father, “Look, all these years I’ve been kissing butt. Yet you never even gave me a steak and a six pack to celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your money on hookers, weed, and coke comes home. You throw him a bash!”

“Matthew,” said his father, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours . But we had to party and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead to me and is alive again.; he was lost and is found.”

Thought to Ponder

Who am I in this story?

**********

Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

Heart Tales News

Where’s Jim at?

September 2, 2009 - speaking at Essex County Family Support Organization Youth Partnership

September 20, 27, October 4 -teaching and telling stories in the Presbyterian Church of Westfield Life Long Learning Class

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

Blog

If you enjoy this newsletter, check out The Heart Tales Blog at http://hearttales.net/blog. The blog is published every Monday and Thursday. Check out the current series on Accepting the Broken.

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

**********

Where is God?

Two stories adapted from Martin Buber’s classic, Tales of the Hasidim, speak to the question of “Where is God?”

Someone once said to a great rabbi, “I’ll give you a gold coin if you tell me where God lives!”

The rabbi replied, “And I’ll give you two gold coins if you tell me where he doesn’t!”

~~~

“Where is the dwelling of God?” This was the question with which a great rabbi surprised a number of pious and holy people who happened to be visiting him.

The people laughed at the rabbi: “What a thing to ask! Is not the whole world full of his glory?”

Then the rabbi answered his own question: “God dwells wherever people let him in.”

Thought to Ponder

Feeling lonely? Where is God?

**********

Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

**********

What’s on My Desk

Currently, I am reading…

Wisdom in the Telling. Finding Inspiration and Grace in Traditional Folktales and Myths Retold, by Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi. The twenty folktales and myths in this book deal with universal themes such as love, and life, fears and foibles, dreams and gifts. I’ve read many of the stories before but Lorraine Hartin-Gelardi does a masterful job bringing them to life putting her own unique spin on each one.

Heart Tales News

Where’s Jim at?

July 12, 2009 - preaching at Grace Community Church, Franklin Lakes, NJ

August 5-8, 2009 - attending the Network of Biblical Storytellers Festival Gathering at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, N.C.

September 2, 2009 - speaking at Essex County Family Support Organization Youth Partnership

September 20, 27, October 4 -teaching and telling stories in the Presbyterian Church of Westfield Life Long Learning Class

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

Blog

If you enjoy this newsletter, check out The Heart Tales Blog at http://hearttales.net/blog. The blog is published every Monday and Thursday. Check out the current series on The Magic Brocade.

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

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A Teacher of Love

There once was a spiritual community in which an old man lived who was the personification of difficulty–irritable, messy, fighting with everyone, and unwilling to clean up or help at all. No one got along with him. Finally, after many frustrating months of trying to stay with the group, the old man left.

The holy man who led the community followed him and tried to convince him to return, but it had been too hard, and the man said no. At last the leader of the community offered the man a very big monthly stipend if he returned. How could he refuse?

When the old man returned everyone was aghast, and on hearing that he was being paid (while they were being charged a lot to live there), the community was up in arms.

The leader of the community called them together and after hearing their complaints laughed and explained: “This man is a teacher of love.” He said, “Without him you would never really learn about anger, irritability, patience, compassion. and love. That is why you pay me, and why I hire him.”

 —

Adapted from Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart edited by Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield.

Thought to Ponder

 Who is your “teacher of love”?

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

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Heart Tales News

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

Blog

If you enjoy this newsletter, check out The Heart Tales Blog at http://hearttales.net/blog. The blog is published every Monday and Thursday. Check out the current series on The Magic Brocade.

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen

Welcome

Heart Tales is a monthly newsletter for people on an adventure toward wholeness. It is published by Jim Cyr, storyteller, author, and crisis intervention specialist.

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Iron Shirt

A young man begged a great Kung-fu master to teach him the Iron Shirt exercises, an esoteric system reputed to make the muscles and organs so strong that they are impervious to blows.

The master first refused, but finally gave him a kung (a formidable challenge). Pointing to a thick tree, he said, “Pull up that tree and bring it to me; then I’ll teach you Iron Shirt.”

After months of futile tugging, the student noticed that he could get better leverage if he kept his back straight. With further experimentation he found the optimal way to plant his feet. He worked on, incrementally adjusting the way he hugged the tree, the way he breathed, the way he visualized the task.

After four years the tree started to give. Finally he uprooted it and laid it at the master’s feet, demanding, “Now teach me Iron Shirt!” “Now I don’t have to,” the master replied. “You just learned it.”

Adapted from Why the Chicken Crossed the Road & Other Hidden Enlightenment Teachings from Buddha to Bebop to Mother Goose by Dean Sluyter.

Thought to Ponder

What lesson(s) is life trying to teach you?

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Your Comments Welcome

Post your comments in the comment box or email them to me at jim@hearttales.net

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What’s on My Desk

Currently, I am reading…

Agnes’s Jacket. A Psychologist’s Search for the Meaning of Madness by Gail Hornstein.

Hornstein, a professor of psychology at Mount Holyoke, investigates personal testimonies of madness for what they can teach us about mental illness and its treatment. The author spent several years attending meetings of psychiatric survivor groups, such as the Hearing Voices Network in the U.K. Hornstein concludes that mental illness is primarily based in trauma, as opposed to the dominant view of biological and hereditary origins.

The stories of psychiatric survivors are heartbreaking and inspiring and will stir you to throw away your Prozac and cancel your next psychiatric appointment!

Heart Tales News

Book

My book, The Cracked Pot: Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child Abuse is available at Amazon.com

“This is one man’s true story of the unspeakable things that were done to him as a child and his rocky journey through adulthood to find God, peace AND his true self.”

Blog

If you enjoy this newsletter, check out The Heart Tales Blog at http://hearttales.net/blog. The blog is published every Monday and Thursday. Check out the current series on Gwinlan’s Harp.

About Jim & Heart Tales

The true spirit of my work is to lead people on a life-changing adventure toward wholeness by connecting their hearts to their true selves, to others, and to God, through stories of healing, wisdom, and faith. My life-changing adventure toward wholeness includes performances of folk and fairy tales, sacred stories, and personal stories, and workshops on how to tell stories in therapeutic settings.

Feedback

“Jim’s storytelling spoke to many of the problems our women face on the road to recovery from addiction and gave them options for handling those problems they had not considered before.”
Helen Raytek, Program Director, Crawford House

“Jim, I want to thank you for your time, efforts, and talents in presenting your Clinical Benefits of Storytelling Workshop. I was very impressed with your professional and fun deliverance of the material and many useful resources and examples. I felt I benefited from it both personally and professionally, and will use what I learned…”
John J. D. Schweska, L.P.C. Assistant Program Director, Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen

“…your newsletter is a wonderful resource, and I hope that many will subscribe to it.”
Dr. Robert Bela Wilhelm, Storyfest Ministry

“…Thank you once again, Jim, for sharing your stories/your story and influencing my healing.”
Eileen