Joyce Shappee

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Stories

Jerome, the Gentle Giant

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Once upon a time, there was a gentle giant named Jerome who lived in the village of Win-Kin in the state of New York. Jerome was a very, very large giant. Giants are usually huge, but in all of his life Jerome has never seen a giant bigger than himself. He was so oversized that his family had to keep moving into different houses to accommodate him as he was growing up. All in all, the family, giants themselves, had to move nine times just because of Jerome’s bigness.

Jerome didn’t mind too much about his size. In fact, he kind of liked it. After all, it made him stand out. Everyone in Win-Kin looked up to him. As an adult, he was twelve feet tall and weighed so much that each time he stepped on a scale, he immediately broke it. Now that he had stopped growing, he wanted to find a job and become a real member of the community.

Although he was a gentle giant and the villagers enjoyed his friendship, a problem kept the others from getting too close to him. The problem was that occasionally, by accident, Jerome would harm someone. When Jerome came into Win-Kin, he or they would not pay attention, and before he knew it, Jerome would step on one of the villagers. Jerome hated this. It was very upsetting to him and of course to the villagers.

Each time it happened, he would shamefully go away hiding in the nearby woods. Because the trees were taller and and some were bigger than him, the woods were the only place he could find shelter and peace of mind during those times. Usually, after about a week of hiding, the village crier would come to the outskirts of the woods and chant: “Jerome, Jerome, it’s time for you to come home.” When he heard these kind words, Jerome knew that the person he had harmed was healed, and that all was forgiven. Only then would he return to the village of Win-Kin.

One day, after he had stepped on someone again and he was exiled into the woods, he began to think. What if my job is to make a safe walkway around the town for only the villagers to walk on? Then, I would know where to step and where not to step. Making a path for the villagers would keep me from hurting them and then I wouldn’t have to leave Win-Kin ever again. Oh, he thought, this is a great idea! Now, I must figure out how to get it done.

So, Jerome set out to make his idea come true. First, he had to figure out what material to use for the pathway. The material had to be big and heavy enough for the others to walk on but small enough so he would recognize the path and not step on it.

Jerome had a gnome friend named Sal who lived under the bridges in New York City. Jerome didn’t know much about New York City, but he did know that it was one of the biggest cities in the United States. He figured that since it was a big city, it might have large items in it that could be used to build the pathway. So, Jerome called his friend Sal and told him about his plan, to see if he could help him.

Sal said he was happy to help. In fact, he said: “I know just the material you need to make your pathway. All through New York City’s streets there are utility hole covers. Utility hole covers are large round metal steeping stones used in the City’s pathways.” He said he and some friends would be honored to supply Jerome with as many as he needed to make his path.

Jerome made drawings and measured his village. He talked with Sal about the size of the utility hole covers and then figured out he needed seventy-one whole covers and three-eighths of one cover. Jerome wasn’t sure if the utility hole covers came in three-eighths size and was thinking the irregular size of three-eighths might be a problem.

So, Jerome called Sal and much to Jerome’s surprise, he found out there was a much BIGGER problem. Someone had already taken some utility hole covers from the streets of New York City. The authorities in NYC were furious and upset about it. Sal said people had been put in jail because of it. Sadly, Sal told Jerome he could not help him. He said, Jerome would have to find another solution to his problem. Poor Jerome didn’t know what to do or where to turn.

Jerome stayed home for many weeks all the while thinking about ideas to make a safe walkway for the villagers of Win-Kin. One day, a few of the villagers came to visit him. They said they were proud of Jerome. Although he was a giant and very tall, they enjoyed his company. They wanted Jerome to be included in the village of Win-Kin. They had heard of Jerome’s pathway idea and they seemed excited when they asked him to follow them back to the village. Carefully, stepping behind the villagers and allowing them to lead, Jerome followed. As they got closer to town, off in the distance he noticed what looked like a designated pathway. It was painted bright, bright, orange, and it went from one end of the village to the other. All the villagers were walking on it. Jerome couldn’t believe his eyes. He was so happy he turned to the others and joyfully cried out: “Hail to the villagers of Win-Kin for solving the problem! Jerome, Jerome can now stay home!”

If You Feel lonely or Lost…

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Like most things in life, feeling lonely or lost is a choice. All be it,
sometimes there is a reason for the loneliness or the loss; but it is a
choice to stay in the feeling.

I’ve had times when it was extremely difficult to rid myself from the feelings of loneliness or loss. In those cases, I tell myself that it’s ok just to sit with the feeling for a while. I is benefit in allowing ourselves to sit and experience the process of our feelings. It’s our own process and it needs to be honored. It maybe similar to others but it will be unique to us.

As I type this, I wonder are you still feeling lonely? Maybe reading this provides a distraction? I do find there is a connection of feeling to the process of writing a letter or journaling. There can be a connection in reading it too. My wish is this is true for you.

Sometimes, when I am feeling lonely, I picture one of my loved ones (living or deceased) sitting with me having their arm around me. If I close my eyes the picture becomes more vivid and real. It evokes warm feelings that are familiar to me. This helps me settle my angst and it gives me some comfort.

To me, being lonely is different than feeling lost. Feeling lost has a need to do or a need to find something to attach to. It is a feeling of being untethered, like having a ship without a rudder. There seems to be desperation and hopelessness with feeling lost. Feeling lost for an extended period of time is not very helpful to our emotional stability.

I think of being lost when there has been a major upset in our lives, like a death; or, one of life’s major endings, like loss of a job. Managing through the loss is the answer. It supports change. The solution is a personal one so, again I mention process. How you choose to manage it. Whether to do something about it…or not.

I experienced loss early in my life. At that time, my emotional process was in the early stages of forming. It was at a time when guidance and support from others was critical. Looking back, I realize that I am grateful for the benefit of consistency in my life. I write the word and realize how much consistency plays in supporting and guiding someone out of the loss or out of feeling lost. The smallest piece of the familiar gives a piece of foundation. That foundation is a beginning to move beyond the loss. Consistency is a corner stone to building something new and moving on.