A Caricature that Delivers More than Good Humor

Feelings are a funny thing. And, for writers we have a lot of them. Chaplains, even more. My heart wants to live heavenward, but my feelings often seem more earth-bound.

Many in “home town USA,” know me as a chaplain at our local hospital. Mostly, a great feeling comes through seeing, first hand, that people respond well to knowing they are cared about. Sometimes I hear confessions, although totally surprised when this happens. Maybe it is the name tag a chaplain wears . . . which one man called “The God Tag.” Hardly. Just being a loving, listening presence is the best I can do.

The caricature, here, was done by an artist after someone at a party shared a few words about my work as a chaplain. He approached me and asked only a mere question or two, then put his pen to paper. Upon seeing his caricature, truth hit: I knew that as much as I wanted to be classy and polished, this stranger truly “got the picture.” I’m just a little person, needing training wheels, but also loved–thank God–accepted by many and tolerated by some.

After twenty years of doing chaplaincy at hospitals, hospice and Mohave County Jail, my heart is full of memories. I’ve grown to know myself better, and to comprehend more about life. The primary battle here on this turf seems to be: 1) not to judge others, 2) let go of prejudice, 3) forgive what hurts, and 4) grow in the ability to love . . . while hanging out with harmonious people, especially those with a sense of humor.

As much as I wish to be finished, I can see much in my very own human nature that is fallible and unfinished. Surely, this is common for us humans–and lies beneath much of the anxiety in daily life.

For sure, it is an ongoing pain to see people hurt one another, innocent or not. This is rugged mountainous territory emotionally–hard places to traverse. 

The link extended below will open my children’s book. My hopes are for helping children meet obstacles on their early paths and grow courageous. The book actually holds potential to open a window of reality for adults, as well as for children. It portrays how to overcome what hurts and scares the “bejeebers” out of us.  

The Little Mountain Goat who was Afraid of High Places