Poem: "Close to the Brokenhearted"
Oct. 11th, 2018 08:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis is the free epic for the October 2, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl reaching the $200 goal. It came out of the August 7, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from alexseanchai and jtthomas. It also fills the "counseling" square in my 6-4-18 Mixed card for the Winteriron Bingo Adventure fest. This poem belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Close to the Brokenhearted"
Fillan Clarke lives his life
by the sound of the church bells
and the beating of his own brain.
On healthy days, he provides
pastoral counseling to people
with acquired disabilities who have
a damaged relationship with God.
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit,"
he reminds them, and he knows it's true.
On headache days, Fillan stays home
and prays. His room is dim and quiet;
his bed is soft and warm; it is enough.
He knows that Jesus doesn't mind and
understands suffering in all its guises.
Some days, there are no spoons.
"Even God ran out of spoons once,"
says Fillan. "That's why we have Sunday."
Fillan is neurodivergent, which makes it
hard for him to handle practicalities,
but God made him this way, so
he doesn't mind being different.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus,"
he explains to the parishioners.
"Many things that matter to us
make no difference to God."
His parents were not so accepting,
and after the diagnosis in preschool, they
took him to a priest for a miracle cure.
Fillan received a miracle, but not a cure,
smoothing the pathways of his mind
and making it easier to understand
matters of the spirit and of God.
Not until years later did the miracles
begin to spill out from his own hand.
Like the one he had received as a boy,
they tend to be miracles of acceptance,
of adaptation, healing a wounded link
between Jesus and one of His followers.
Fillan has to conserve his limited energy,
but that's okay too, because he can teach people
the skills they need to do that for themselves.
When they ask him how, he says, "I can
do all things through him who strengthens me."
The Church values Fillan for his faith
and for his grace, but most of all, for
his ability to fix things that difficult
or impossible for anyone else to fix.
He has novices to handle the practicalities
and to care for him when he's unwell.
This too is good; it teaches him
humility and gratitude.
Fillan values his parishioners
most of all, the ones who come
to him for help in their adversity.
"To each is given the manifestation
of the Spirit for the common good,"
he tells them. "Go and find yours."
Fillan knows that he will always be
close to the brokenhearted, because
that is where God has placed him.
* * *
Notes:
Fillan Clarke -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short black hair. He is left-handed. His heritage is Irish, Britannian, and American. He lives in Motor City. Fillan is neurodivergent and poor at practicalities, but he excels in spiritual matters. He is a Catholic priest with a gift for pastoral counseling. He specializes in helping people with a damaged relationship to God. Despite chronic pain from headaches, Fillan is very popular as a priest, because he fixes problems that are difficult or impossible for anyone else to fix. In Terramagne, the Church is more welcoming of people with disabilities, since Jesus obviously cared about them. Having a disabled priest shows people that a handicap needn't cause them to lose their faith.
Origin: After his neurodivergent diagnosis in preschool, his parents took him to a priest in hopes of a miracle cure. Instead, the miracle helped him focus without changing how his brain worked. His existential intelligence and vocation grew in quickly. The miracles didn't start happening until much later, but are generally believed to have their roots in that occasion.
Uniform: Catholic priest uniform. He loves it because it tells everyone his job and he never has to think about what to wear. He hates secular clothing because it's too complicated and inconsistent.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Catholic Priest, Expert (+4) Existential Intelligence, Good (+2) Music Fan, Good (+2) Pastoral Counselor, Good (+2) Stamina
Poor (-2) Dealing with Practicalities
Powers: Average (0) Miracles
Much like the one he received as a child, the miracles that Fillan bestows tend to be miracles of acceptance, adaptation, and/or faith rather than healing. However, occasionally he produces a miracle cure.
Vulnerability: Chronic pain. Fillan suffers from headaches about half the time. On headache days, he stays home and prays. After all, Jesus understands suffering and sympathizes with his condition. On healthy days, Fillan provides pastoral counseling to clients, mostly people with newly acquired disabilities that have impaired their relationship with God. The Church provides him with novices who handle the practicalities he can't and take care of him when he's unwell.
Motivation: To help people get along with God.
* * *
Psalm 34:18
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Pastoral counseling can help people with a crisis of faith or other issues. Here are some tips on doing it right.
Acquired disability can have negative impacts on mental health, sexuality, faith, and other areas of life. This often leaves people in mourning. However, positive growth is also possible. Some people find counseling helpful in learning how to live well with a disability. They can integrate with a faith community.
The Spoon Theory describes life with a short energy budget.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
1 Corinthians 12:7
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
alexseanchai and jtthomas. It also fills the "counseling" square in my 6-4-18 Mixed card for the Winteriron Bingo Adventure fest. This poem belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series."Close to the Brokenhearted"
Fillan Clarke lives his life
by the sound of the church bells
and the beating of his own brain.
On healthy days, he provides
pastoral counseling to people
with acquired disabilities who have
a damaged relationship with God.
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit,"
he reminds them, and he knows it's true.
On headache days, Fillan stays home
and prays. His room is dim and quiet;
his bed is soft and warm; it is enough.
He knows that Jesus doesn't mind and
understands suffering in all its guises.
Some days, there are no spoons.
"Even God ran out of spoons once,"
says Fillan. "That's why we have Sunday."
Fillan is neurodivergent, which makes it
hard for him to handle practicalities,
but God made him this way, so
he doesn't mind being different.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus,"
he explains to the parishioners.
"Many things that matter to us
make no difference to God."
His parents were not so accepting,
and after the diagnosis in preschool, they
took him to a priest for a miracle cure.
Fillan received a miracle, but not a cure,
smoothing the pathways of his mind
and making it easier to understand
matters of the spirit and of God.
Not until years later did the miracles
begin to spill out from his own hand.
Like the one he had received as a boy,
they tend to be miracles of acceptance,
of adaptation, healing a wounded link
between Jesus and one of His followers.
Fillan has to conserve his limited energy,
but that's okay too, because he can teach people
the skills they need to do that for themselves.
When they ask him how, he says, "I can
do all things through him who strengthens me."
The Church values Fillan for his faith
and for his grace, but most of all, for
his ability to fix things that difficult
or impossible for anyone else to fix.
He has novices to handle the practicalities
and to care for him when he's unwell.
This too is good; it teaches him
humility and gratitude.
Fillan values his parishioners
most of all, the ones who come
to him for help in their adversity.
"To each is given the manifestation
of the Spirit for the common good,"
he tells them. "Go and find yours."
Fillan knows that he will always be
close to the brokenhearted, because
that is where God has placed him.
* * *
Notes:
Fillan Clarke -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short black hair. He is left-handed. His heritage is Irish, Britannian, and American. He lives in Motor City. Fillan is neurodivergent and poor at practicalities, but he excels in spiritual matters. He is a Catholic priest with a gift for pastoral counseling. He specializes in helping people with a damaged relationship to God. Despite chronic pain from headaches, Fillan is very popular as a priest, because he fixes problems that are difficult or impossible for anyone else to fix. In Terramagne, the Church is more welcoming of people with disabilities, since Jesus obviously cared about them. Having a disabled priest shows people that a handicap needn't cause them to lose their faith.
Origin: After his neurodivergent diagnosis in preschool, his parents took him to a priest in hopes of a miracle cure. Instead, the miracle helped him focus without changing how his brain worked. His existential intelligence and vocation grew in quickly. The miracles didn't start happening until much later, but are generally believed to have their roots in that occasion.
Uniform: Catholic priest uniform. He loves it because it tells everyone his job and he never has to think about what to wear. He hates secular clothing because it's too complicated and inconsistent.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Catholic Priest, Expert (+4) Existential Intelligence, Good (+2) Music Fan, Good (+2) Pastoral Counselor, Good (+2) Stamina
Poor (-2) Dealing with Practicalities
Powers: Average (0) Miracles
Much like the one he received as a child, the miracles that Fillan bestows tend to be miracles of acceptance, adaptation, and/or faith rather than healing. However, occasionally he produces a miracle cure.
Vulnerability: Chronic pain. Fillan suffers from headaches about half the time. On headache days, he stays home and prays. After all, Jesus understands suffering and sympathizes with his condition. On healthy days, Fillan provides pastoral counseling to clients, mostly people with newly acquired disabilities that have impaired their relationship with God. The Church provides him with novices who handle the practicalities he can't and take care of him when he's unwell.
Motivation: To help people get along with God.
* * *
Psalm 34:18
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Pastoral counseling can help people with a crisis of faith or other issues. Here are some tips on doing it right.
Acquired disability can have negative impacts on mental health, sexuality, faith, and other areas of life. This often leaves people in mourning. However, positive growth is also possible. Some people find counseling helpful in learning how to live well with a disability. They can integrate with a faith community.
The Spoon Theory describes life with a short energy budget.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
1 Corinthians 12:7
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Well ...
Date: 2018-10-15 02:44 am (UTC)* Expectations. Most mainstream professionals set up the idea that appointments should always be at a specific time. But that's not the only way to do it, doesn't work for everyone, and people it doesn't work for get shut out.
If you set up different expectations, however, that's fine as long as everyone's on the same page.
Would I put up with a significant absence rate in a caregiver who was exactly what I needed? Hell, yes. I would even if he was just substantially better than other options. I have put up with aggravations like having to drive 1-2 hours just to get tolerable care. I'd rather not, but it's preferable to the alternatives. Would I put up with that rate to talk with someone who had the same problem I was having, or a similar one? Yes, if it was the kind of problem that talking could fix.
* Context. Pastoral counseling is different than secular counseling. It's not always a set schedule of meetings over medium-to-long term except for certain categories like prenuptual or end-of-life counseling. Much of it is spontaneous. They're also serving a large group of people on an occasional basis rather than a smaller group all booked into a tight schedule. So pastoral counselors often have open office hours when anyone can drop by. Another approach is connecting whenever both people are available, which can require a bit of phone-tag but usually works. Some of our friends have limited availability and we tell them to call us when they're free, to see if we are. In this regard, a pastoral counselor can post on a sign-in board or email when he's available.
* Coverage. What matters most is that needs get met, rather than one person does the exact thing at the exact time. A small church might only have one pastoral counselor, but a larger one often has multiple folks including a pastor and experienced volunteers. We know this is a large one because he has several people helping him with personal needs. This makes it possible to have multiple counselors available, such that someone walking in can take whoever's free at the time. Some support groups have two or more facilitators, precisely so they don't have to skip a day if someone gets sick.
Really, it comes down to value, fault tolerance, and communication. How much do people care that disabled folks have jobs and participate in community as much as they are able? T-America cares more about that than people here typically do.
What happens if one person isn't available some of the time? A large church has plenty of folks to pick up the slack; a small one might not. Some people might absolutely need a reliable counselor while others aren't comfortable in a rigid schedule. T-America also has more counseling of all types much more accessible than here, which means if the issue is urgent then backup is available.
How do people know about current availability? Even here, computers and cellphones make it easy to stay in touch with quick updates. T-America adds the option of scheduling things online or with a live secretary; they haven't automated everything. They also have vidwatches, which are a little harder to lose than cellphones.
All of which adds up to meaning that if a pastoral counselor with a disability misses some time, it's frustrating, but it's not a disaster nor is it likely to make people dump him. Some folks actively look for relationships that entail accommodating each other's weaknesses.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2018-11-19 01:58 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2018-11-19 02:35 am (UTC)I take an interest in scheduling and flexibility, because I have seen these things done brilliantly, but the routine here is that they're done very badly. I figure if I show examples of better ways, maybe people will catch on.