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The Wisdom Percolator
Welcome to the Wisdom Percolator
Welcome to the Wisdom Percolator, a strong brew of reflections and stories to percolate wisdom in your heart, from an old guy who has seen it all.
For anyone not familiar a percolator, here is a picture of one like my parents had when I was a child. You made your coffee in it on top of the stove:
My name is Jim Cyr. I am a retired minister. I have had adventures in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Europe, and the Philippines. As a pastor, residential services supervisor for emotionally challenged boys, jail chaplain, crisis intervention specialist, patient experience representative, and hospice chaplain, storyteller, and spiritual director, life has “percolated” some wisdom in me.
My wisdom teachers have included, my dog, good church people, alcoholics, drug addicts, thieves, embezzlers, murderers, sex offenders, mob wise guys, out of control kids, parents at the end of their rope, bad bosses and good bosses, people taking their last breath, three wives, multiple step children, mystics past and present, Muslims, Jews, and Christians, and bookshelves full of stories, theology, non-fiction, and religious studies.
Each week, the Wisdom Percolator will brew a piece of wisdom to help you navigate life with more insight and less agita.
Toby Tales – The Rescue of Toby
“Everything I know, I learned from dogs.”
― Nora Roberts, The Search
The inaugural reflection from the Wisdom Percolator is inspired by our dog, Toby. It is the first in a short series I am calling “Toby Tales.” Enjoy!
After the death of my second wife, I met my current wife, Carol, online through Match.com. On one of our first dates, she told me that she had signed up at Match.com to find someone to replace her dog that had died. We dated and got married and I was a good replacement for the dog—for a while.
But it was not long after our wedding that Carol mentioned that it would be nice to have a dog. I guess I was not as good a dog replacement as I thought!
Several trips we had planned delayed our quest for a canine addition to our family. We did not want to get a dog and then leave it while we were away visiting family.
After our trips were completed, Carol again began mentioning her desire for a dog. I tried wagging my tail to appease her but somehow my wiggly butt was not a substitute for the wag of a dog’s tail.
So, I began to search online for the nearest animal rescue shelter and discovered The Center for Animal Health and Welfare right in our own town.
I perused the pictures and descriptions of the many dogs sheltered at the Center and a boxer mix named Toby caught my eye. Here’s a picture of Toby:
How could you not fall in love with that face?
When I called to inquire about the adoption process and the possibility of meeting Toby, I learned that there were several requirements including a phone interview, the completion of an application, and the provision of a reference. I wondered if we would be subjected to an FBI background check!
We answered the Center’s questions over the phone, submitted the application and the name of a reference, and waited to be contacted. A few days later the Center called and said we had passed the initial screening of the adoption process and were eligible to meet Toby.
We met Toby in the doggie playground of the Center on a hot August day. Diana, one of the staff, and their dog trainer, told us that Toby had spent over a year in two different shelters, one in Texas and one in New Jersey. Former owners had done little training of Toby and chose to give him up when they could not handle him.
Well, Toby captured our hearts during the visit and we decided to rescue him from “puppy jail” as Carol called it.
Rescue. Like Toby, people need to be rescued from whatever is keeping them caged up. Some need to be rescued from wounds life has inflicted upon them or that they have inflicted upon others. Some need to be rescued from the loneliness of isolation or grief. Some need to be rescued from fear of people not like them. Some need to be rescued from self-loathing. Some need to be rescued from addiction. Some need to be rescued from literal cages that confine undocumented immigrants.
Does God rescue people?
“God is no White Knight who charges into the world to pluck us like distressed damsels from the jaws of dragons, or diseases. God chooses to become present to and through us. It is up to us to rescue one another.” Nancy Mairs
God rescues people when we show up.
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.”
… “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.” Matthew 25:35,36,40
God was not going to come down and open the door to Toby’s cage. We had to show up for Toby.
It is time for each of us to show up for someone in need. Who will you show up for?
“Never grow weary in the fight to rescue the most forgotten.”
The Wisdom Percolator is on the stove. Stay tuned for more Toby Tales!