Reverend James Cyr Tells a Tale from the Heart In
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A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 29, 2007 Page 19 POPCORN™ Beowulf: Of Geats Reverend James Cyr Tells a Tale And Gigabytes From the Heart in ‘Cracked Pot’ One Popcorn, Poor • Two Popcorns, Fair • Three Popcorns, Good • Four Popcorns, Excellent By MARYLOU MORANO openly tell his story. sion of Children’s Behavioral Health, By MICHAEL S. GOLDBERGER it and when (right now, “Anonymous” Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times “I would speak at churches about working under the sponsorship of 2 and 1/2 popcorns and “somewhere between the eighth SCOTCH PLAINS – After decades my own recovery, and people would Catholic Charities. For a better appreciation of the old- and 10th centuries A.D.” are in the lead) of emotional pain resulting from five come up to me and tell me how they In addition, Reverend Cyr spends English epic “Beowulf,” transported to the extent of its Christian influence. congenital birth defects and multiple have gone through similar things,” he his time as a professional storyteller here by director Robert Zemeckis from Your job is to just enjoy it. forms of child abuse, Reverend James continued. who belongs to the National its oral roots to a full-blown CGI treat- To that end, Zemeckis’s ambitious Cyr had to make a decision. “I want the book to be a help to Storytelling Network, the Healing ment sure to intrigue the most discern- work is intermittently successful. It’s Would he allow the experiences of people. I want them to know that they Story Alliance and the Network of ing of Geeks, there’s this suggestion – epochal all right, the computer-gen- the past to make him bitter or make shouldn’t be ashamed of what hap- Biblical Storytellers. do what you did in high school. Mrs. erated imagery allowing the film- him better? “Stories can help people find Rehrman, your English teacher, will maker to purvey just about any land- Reverend Cyr’s moving story of wholeness. I tell stories of healing, be none the wiser. Read the Cliff Notes. scape and pull all sorts of dragons out sexual, physical and emotional abuse wisdom and faith,” he said, adding For all the universally understood of the firmamental hat. Still, the tech- at the hands of his parents and other that the stories he tells fall into the bravado, lust and swordplay this nology has its intrinsic confinements. relatives, and his subsequent heal- categories of folk tales, fairy tales, revolutionary eyeful offers, its po- There is that by-now-familiar, ing, is explained in a newly released sacred stories or stories from his etic mysticism remains obscure. It gigabyte/pixel look. memoir entitled “The Cracked Pot: own life. is sixth-century Denmark and, un- Indeed, Zemeckis has taken it an- Finding Grace in the Cracks of Child- “My own story in ‘A Cracked Pot’ like our sophisticated knowledge of other step. And, for the first 15 min- hood Abuse.” shows that the wounds of a painful such things like life, death and the utes or so you can’t help but marvel at The book also details one of the childhood can be healed, and they Susan M. Dougherty for The Leader/ Times hereafter, these poor souls are mired how the real-life actors, actually do- ‘SILENT’ TREATMENT…Dina most serious affects of his painful can be transformed into a way to in a lot of ambiguous booga-booga. ing their thing in front of a blue screen, Matos-McGreevey signs copies of her childhood – Dissociative Identity help others also,” he continued. To complicate matters, they have are stenciled over into these much new book “Silent Partner” for attend- Disorder (DID), the psychological To accomplish his mission of heal- monsters. more than cartoon characters. It is ees at the Springfield Library on Sun- process of adapting to trauma, also ing through stories, Reverend Cyr Of specific concern to King near seamless. day afternoon. “I had no intensions of known as “multiple-personality dis- has created a website – Heart Tales – Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) and his So much so, in fact, that we forgive writing a book,” she told the audience, order.” through which he shares stories that loyal followers is Grendel (Crispin the film for humming the scenery “but people were pretending to know In order to deal with his trauma, allow people to connect their hearts who I am or what I’m about. I wrote the Glover), party-pooper when it might have been making the book for my 5-year-old daughter to read Reverend Cyr’s psyche split into 15 to their true selves, to others and to extraordinaire. Whenever they make story a bit more accessible. Yet we when she’s older,” she said. different personalities. God. merry in the mead hall (that’s beer quickly jade. Just as with fine art, Until treated in psychotherapy, Each month he produces a free garden to you and me), the ugly whether done in traditional oils, wa- Masterwork Calls All these personas, referred to as “al- monthly e-mail newsletter that con- specter swoops down and demon- tercolors or even in what might trans- Singers for Messiah ters” or “my kids” in the book, sabo- tains an inspirational story. izes the celebrants. The depiction of late here as the “new acrylic,” it’s the taged his professional and personal Reverend James Cyr He will also suggest for contem- said murder and mayhem is quite subject at its heart, the story, that will AREA – The public can join mem- life. plation a story concerning a specific graphic. or will not carry the day. bers of the Masterwork Chorus in “The abuses I suffered as a child pened to them.” issue. With guilt already in full and ac- Nonetheless, it’s pretty wild stuff. singing through Handel’s Messiah on caused me to feel like giving up Reverend Cyr has worked as a Min- In addition, he conducts workshops cepted use, old Hrothgar ascribes the Here’s this pre-Medieval, pre- Sunday, December 9, at 2 p.m. at the many times,” said Reverend Cyr, a ister of Christian Education in a Bap- for beginning storytellers and on the curse to past sins. Young, sort of inno- Gutenberg legend, invigoratively re- Chatham United Methodist Church, Scotch Plains resident. tist church, a correctional chaplain in therapeutic use of stories for mental cent Queen Wealthow (Robin Wright told in the most cutting-edge way. located at 460 Main Street. “I hope ‘A Cracked Pot’ shows both a county jail and a state prison, and behavioral health clients. Penn), nods in agreement. But, the There’s something adventuresome Patterned after Masterwork there is hope for healing and gives as well as a pastor and a life-skills “The Cracked Pot” is available king rationalizes, if it’s the age of and oddly ennobling about suffusing Chorus’s Summer Sing program, the the reader the courage to seek help.” supervisor at a residential treatment through a link on Reverend Cyr’s monsters and evil omens, then ‘tis oneself in what essentially proves an sing-through of Messiah is appropri- According to the author, an Ameri- center for emotionally disturbed boys. website, hearttales.net. also the era of heroes. So he adver- interesting paragraph in the study of ate for older children and all adults can Baptist Minister, the idea to write Currently, he serves as a crisis- The author can be reached at tises for one: “Slay the monster and our literature. who like to sing. his book came after he began to intervention specialist for NJ Divi- [email protected]. earn half my gold.” It also can’t help but remind of A professional pianist will accom- Not one to miss a cue, the great Marshall McLuhan’s prophecy about pany the sing, which will be con- Geat warrior Beowulf, portrayed via the medium being the message. While ducted by Tom Cunningham, associ- computer transmutation by Ray this Beowulf might entertain, it may ate conductor of The Masterwork WF Beauty Queen Appears Winstone, washes ashore with his not be in the way that “Anonymous” Chorus and music director of the pro- devoted thanes (that’s homies to us). had intended. All of which prompts fessional Manhattan Choral En- Hopeful and elated, Hrothgar accedes Carnegie Mellon’s Erin Goldberger semble. Fellowship and a high tea of On TV, in Movie and Ballet to reopening the shuttered mead hall to sum up the literary experiment by holiday treats will follow. when the big guy palavers about the speculating, “What’s next…‘The Admission to the Messiah sing is By SUSAN MYRILL DOUGHERTY cal played the lead queen in “La person on behalf of the company. king’s legendary brew. He’ll mix busi- Iliad’ performed by robots?” $10 and includes the complimentary Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times Esmeralda” earlier this month at the “I’m very excited to be partnering ness with pleasure. * * * high tea. Listeners and students are WESTFIELD – She’s a beauty NJ Ballet Gala at the Community with Neiman Marcus to sponsor a NJ Though it’s been some 15 centu- Beowulf, rated PG-13, is a Para- welcome for $5. Those interested may queen. Ballet fundraiser/benefit in March,” ries since Beowulf’s fateful confron- mount Pictures release directed by bring their own scores of Messiah or Westfield’s Sherryl Pascal, Mrs. she said. tation with Grendel, just in case you Robert Zemeckis and stars the voices rent one for the afternoon. New Jersey 2008, doesn’t take of- When Mrs.