Emerge: verb 1. to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity. 2. to rise or come forth from or as if from water or other liquid. 3. to come up or arise, as a question or difficulty. 4. to come into existence; develop 5.to rise, as from an inferior or unfortunate state or condition.
Example: Elke has emerged from the dark chaos of experiential learning, emergency responding, and care-giving.
In what is the darkest season of our far northern latitude, I am actually seeing and experiencing the light at the end a darkened tunnel, and I am grateful. Mind you, not every one of our problems is solved, not every detail is sketched into my future plans, and everything isn't all rosy. But I'm more than ok with this, because I am more sure than ever of my faith in a loving Universe--or God, if that term suits you. Even the term for this benevolent Force isn't an issue. What has been of issue has been my faith -- faith in myself, faith in a loving God/Universe, faith that this earth experience is not just a waste of time, but a precious opportunity indeed.
The Tunnel Not too terribly long ago, in 2010, hubby Jim had published a powerful book called Crisis to Creation - Our power of Choice. We both felt it was the start of a beautiful career for him as a teacher and researcher into the role of choice in healing and crisis.
Shortly thereafter, I put out a small book of inspired lessons from what I came to know as a Friendly Universe: Downloading a Friendly Universe - Book One: Your Presence is Requested. I was stoked. I saw a new life for me as the teacher of the wonderful material. And this book was only the first in a series, so I saw before me a life-long road. But, despite our best efforts in marketing, and despite people from around the world giving positive testimonies on the books' behalf, the book sales only went so far, and we have a basement with boxes of books quietly sitting, instead of resoundingly impacting people's lives.
Still and all we worked on getting the words out, and 2010 merged into 2011, and with that new year, a dawning reality: Because of some circumstances beyond our control, such as huge medical bills for Jim's necessary open heart surgery, as well as investments gone bad, and the pouring the rest of our life's savings into the labors of love that were our books, we were not able to sustain our life as it was in the house we lived in. We stared into the open maw of possible foreclosure or bankruptcy or both. We chose to be creative and sell everything, rent out our house and strike off across the country for new possibilities in community, affordable living, and work.
On June 1, 2011 we hit the road, and experienced a journey of a lifetime. New places brought new friends we could not have met any other way. I started to post notes from the journey, and came to find out people were interested--and sometimes fascinated-- with our journey. Some thought it took chutzpah, others probably looked on with a mixture of envy and "glad it's not me," and still others thought we were out of our minds. But there you have it: Our journey was the most powerful in my life...and then we decided to return to the Pacific Northwest.
The year 2012 started out well enough: We landed in a temporary but sweet home where I started up my spiritual guidance and healing business again. Jim was exploring new ways of bringing the lessons of Crisis to Creation to the world...
And then all Hell broke loose, and our lives were forever changed....again.
Jim's heart stopped beating while bicycling, and he died on a lonely road outside of Bellingham. It obviously was NOT his time to go, though, because 2 angel/human witnesses to his death attended to him and administered CPR. Then an aid car happened to drive by from another call, and the EMTs used a defibrillator to shock my love's heart to life. He was rushed to local ER, a call made to his worried wife (me). In only a few days he emerged out of this crisis and was well on the way to full recovery when Hell caught up with us again.
Jim's catastrophic stroke was to have rendered the man not able to walk or talk. For months now, though, he has proven all original prognosis wrong, yet this has been an intense healing period to say the least. And it has consumed my time, energy and life like nothing has before. Everything else in my life had been put on pause, and I honestly wondered if the pause would last the rest of my life.
I continued to write about this major turn in the road, mostly for my sanity--writing is healing for me. But I now know that the posts were speaking for other caregivers who'd had their lives upended by their loved ones' health crises.
And now..... We both live in a wonderful new hometown of Anacortes, Washington. We released our long time La Conner home--the bank owns it now and forgave us our mortgage debt. We are even about move into a new house in the same neighborhood we're in now-- larger, with room for my work office, and guests and dinners and classes and more.
Jim is emerging from the fog of his brain injury, and is anxious to get on with life. He's been exploring and researching a prominent topic in his life: "Who is healer?" I have no doubt of his emergence into a life he is satisfied with. Crisis to Creation has been an inspiration to us as we've moved through our crisis series, so we will offer it as as part of his emerging outreach. Meanwhile...
I seem to be blinking in the bright dawn of a new day in my life's work too. People are calling on me to be with them and guide them on their own challenging life journeys through transitions, divorces, loosing jobs and homes and lifestyles, health-issues. Some come to see me because they are emerging too. I've had a temporary office generously offered for sublet by Jim's old rehab company, but now its time to find more stable office digs. Hence our move.
Moving. Flowing. Emerging. All are words to describe how I experience my life right now. Some friends have wondered aloud: "Now Elke, are you worried that other crises will sideswipe you just as you're getting started?" Hmm. A little. And so?
My faith is back, remember? This faith is intangible, really, but I definitely feel it. I feel a trust that its all going to be ok. All. The world may end on December 21,2012, right on time according to some prophetic interpretations, but that's ok too. The world as we have known it could use a change. Apparently, so did I.
Call me crazy, but I am about to publish yet another new book: Notes From the Road of Life will be uploaded onto Kindle by December 1....which is also our moving date. Hardbound book will follow soon after. I'll let you know when you can buy a copy or more if you'd like.
And then there will be drum groups on the new and full moon, once a month Energy Soup Kitchens, energy healing and spiritual guidance counseling and aura portraits in my new office, and ...ayiyi! Mid-December, I am going to train to become a Zumba instructor. Besides my writing, Zumba's hip-shakin' dance classes have kept me sane, so I thought it would be fun to teach too! There are already 3 places in town who've offered spaces to teach in...talk about abundance via a-bun-dance! :)
Ok then. Enough reporting...on to doing.
It's getting dark outside, and what are you going to do about that? Maybe, its time to emerge. Let's go.
blessings, Elke