Gladys

I finally have a few moments to write as things have been busy here. Actually Saturday was about as un-busy as a day can be, but I was too busy enjoying being lazy that I didn't even have the urge to write. That was a lovely day of sleeping in late; lazily doing chores; exercising; showering; dining on leftovers from Friday night (we do not cook on Saturday); singing together; "Churching" with pastor Davis; resting; playing games; choring; watching movies.

At chores that night Cora said, "Do you mind if I pick a movie?"

I said, "No, what do you have in mind?"

She surprised me with, "Cinderella." I was delighted and we managed to talk the guys into watching with us. When I was a girl, Cinderella was on tv once a year and I was always fascinated. How could a little nobody become a princess? It still absolutely fascinates me to ponder and it was so much fun singing the songs with Julie Andrews that I haven't sung in years. My favorite is, "10 minutes ago I met you..." Jacob left during the mushy parts but the step-sisters were so pathetic that Robert and Andrew laughed most of the time. I never viewed it as funny when I was a child but with them laughing beside me, and knowing how it would turn out, they weren't nearly as threatening as they were years ago.

Anyway, we were almost finished watching Cinderalla when the phone rang. It was Leo, our neighbor and he was very somber. He said, "I want you to know that I took Gladys up to the hospital in Bismarck--she could hardly breathe." I told him that I would visit her on Sunday, but it weighed on me, and the rest of Cinderella was not very joyful.

Yesterday was as busy as Saturday was restful. I got up and felt very poorly. I'm sure that the stress over Glady's situation was weighing on me. Glady's has been a mother substitue for me ever since we're here--she's one of the few people around here who has been friendly. I knew that I needed to act quickly if my plans for the day would be saved.

I stayed in from chores and did a BodyTalk session on myself while the whirlpool slowly filled. There were lots of emotional issues that came up in the session and I felt much better emotionally afterwards but oh, how my body ached. I'll never really know what the whirlpool does but it works miracles every time I take the time to use it. Thanks, Lord, for this BIG blessing in my life!

Then it was 11:30 and Cora asked me, "Are you well enough to go?" That was what I was wondering too. So I sat down and prayed and felt led to go. Cora quickly packed my lunch while I gathered my books, linens, and purse and I was off to Bismarck which is 60 miles away.

My session was with a new client whom I will call, Walt, and it went very well. It was my first time that I was alone working on a man as I was the only one working in the office and he isn't married. I was glad that I knew him or I'd have died of embarrassment. His session was set for 1:00 and I was dusting when he showed up at about 1:15.

Walt came breathless into the room and said, "Dawn, oh good, it's you."

I laughed and asked why. He said, "Because you wrote that the address is 1101 S. Washington and that is on the other side of the street. I've been driving up and down the street looking for your van."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. So we went outside and looked for the street address on the building which wasn't on the side of the parking lot. Walt took off running around the building and came around a few minutes later stating that the number is on the other side and it is 1102 South Washington. I'M SURE THAT I'LL NEVER FORGET NOW. So, if you're ever scheduled for a session with me at my office, and I give you the wrong address, this is what the building looks like. :)

Anyway, I apologized and we laughed and went back up the steps to the office. He put my cell number in his cell phone then in case that ever happens again. A year ago I'd have died to have a man put my phone number in his phone but I am getting so much more balanced with each session I do and I've come to see that men are just people too!!!

We had a great session and a great talk afterwards. He's very interested in BodyTalk so maybe we'll get a man in our group of BodyTalkers yet!!! I told my family later that he said that he wants to take the next Access class in September and he seemed so interested in learning more about BT and they said, "Sure mom, but he's interetsed in everything." So we'll have to see where that leads.

Anyway, I digress. After I cleaned up the office, I went to the hospital to see Gladys. I was shocked to see how terrible she looked. I prayed silently, "How can I bring it up to her that I KNOW BT would help her in some way." We visited for about half an hour when I felt led to ask her if she had heard about the young man in our neighborhood who committed suicide.

BULLS EYE!!! She started crying. Gladys told me that this young family had joined their church not too long ago but that she left him because of his drinking. Still, she was very upset when he had shot himself through the heart.

When she started trembling, I suddenly remembered her telling me once that a member of her family had shot himself. Then things clicked in my brain. I have read repeatedly that asthma is very strongly emotionally based. Gladys took a sudden turn for the worse right after the suicide. She told me that yesterday morning she had had a terrible attack where 4 nurses tend to her to try to keep her breathing. Well, this would have been during the time when she normally would have been in church.

"May I do a BodyTalk session on you, Gladys?" I found myself asking timidly.

She seemed to take comfort and stopped trembling although the tears still flowed. "Can you do it in here?"

I had decided not to take my books with me when I went in as I felt that I would have been stressed trying to do BT on somebody who was hooked up to all kinds of machines. I told Gladys that I would go out to the car and do it when we were done talking. She nodded and when, a few minutes later she got a phone call, that is just what I did.

It was beautiful there under the trees with the breeze blowing through the van but my heart was heavy. It still is. I was working on trying to free up my special friend from the memories of this terrible thing called suicide, while deep feelings stirred inside reminding me of when I struggled with those thoughts throughout my life and not so long ago.

This was when something neat happened. I don't know if I sobbed but suddenly I felt somebody was watching me. A nice, plump man in his early 70s had come back to his pickup which was parked beside my van. I looked up to see him gazing at me intently. He asked in a friendly way, "Are you ok?"

I smiled at him and said, "Yes" so he smiled back and said, "Good". He got in his pickup and left then and I blessed him for that little, "Are you ok?" meant so very much to me. You see, God always gives us encouragement at just the right time.

Well, I finished Glady's session and found myself out of food and very hungry. I treated myself to a taco salad at Taco Johns and then went to be with my kindred spirits at the Doublewood. The monthly BodyTalk practice for practitioners was extra special this month for not only was Elizabeth there but Melanie, my teacher from New York, was present also.

I learned about upcoming classes and then we reviewed Body Chemistry and practiced on each other. I got to work with Lauri who took Mod. 1 & 2 last year and is a really neat lady. Although we were in Body Chem, a link to my skeletal system came up and my back felt much better afterwards.

All too soon it was time to head for home and I left my little cocoon of safety with my fellow BodyTalkers. Oh, I should say that my friend Ellen Schultz was honored for passing her test. She tapped me on my arm after she sat down next to me and said in my ear, "You're next." Then, when I said my farewell to Melanie she said, "We'll see you in November, Dawn." I laughed as she knows that I'm planning to test then when she comes back to teach again. It was just so wonderful to be together with my friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After I tore myself away from them, I sped towards home. It was a pretty rough trip for several reasons. First of all I knew that I wouldn't see everybody for another month. Secondly, I was burdened for Galdys (who needs another session today by the way) and thirdly because there were TONS of bugs splattering into my windshield. By the time I got to Steels, I could hardly see through the glass. I scrubbed on it for at least 10 minutes while the gas ran into the van. After I was finished, I looked around and saw a sight I have never seen. All around me there were men, women, and children scrubbing for all their might to get the bugs off of their windshields. It was really weird--the feeling that you get at a gas station when you're out there in the middle of a blizzard. There's a comradery in joint misery and so we scrubb, scrubb, scrubbed the bugs off of windshields, dashes, and even headlights so we could continue on our journey.

Well, I thought that was the end of my trials but not so. Three miles north of here I came around a curve to find 2 black yearling steers on the road. One headed for the ditch but, just at the wrong moment, the other one turned in front of the van. I was glad that I usually slow down for the curves as I hit him broadside. He bellered and ran in front of the van for awhile until he figured out that he could get away from his tormentor by heading into the ditch. WOW--what a stressful day. I got home with only a broken licence plate holder just in time to pray with my family.

Is it any wonder that today I'm hurting? Now I need to drive tractor all afternoon so I'm asking for prayer. After all of that negativity I want to close with some positive thoughts complete with pictures. This is the broccoli head that I picked on Friday night. I have never in my life grown such a large, tight head of broccoli not to mention that hundreds of little heads growing out there. I would say from the broccoli, Sonic Bloom DEFINITELY WORKS--thanks for sharing it with us, Bob.

This morning I found these pictures of Cora on my computer so I thought it would be a good time to honor her. What would I do without my lovely daughter, Cora? She keeps this place running like a clock whether I'm here or not. Besides being beautiful on the outside, she's a true beauty on the inside. She told me this morning that she sprayed everything with Sonic Bloom again yesterday. Thank you, Cora Beth, for all of the joy that you bring into my life!!!!!!!!!! I agree with you, how I wish that hats would come back into style again. :)

Best get to work.

Dawn

PS. Please keep my neighbor lady, Gladys, in your prayers.