About three years ago, I sat down for a coffee with Peter Davison to get caught up and share a few stories about journeys – soul journeys – and he invited me to become a  contributing author to Gift of the Hit: Collected Stories Volume 1. Peter’s own story about being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his 40’s and the openings that cracked through his veneer of a dedicated, world traveling bachelor and speaker to allow him to love and be loved is inspirational. As he shared his story with others, naturally others shared their stories with him and the inspiration for Gift of the Hit was born.

The story I share is “Soul Journey Beyond Human Tragedy” – another articulation of my mother’s journey with dementia, her death and how that called me to ask myself did I truly believe what I said about my own beliefs – about consciousness traveling, about soul work and soul journey. The answer became a resounding yes, but it took a few years of traveling with my mother in her journey to fully understand what that meant.

“The human tragedy story is so apparent it can obliterate the soul journey perspective. It is often hard to see beyond the sights, sounds and smells assaulting your senses, such as those that would stun me as I walked the halls of the “home” (the long-term care facility that was home to my mother in her last years). It was all so blinding, making it almost impossible to see anything beyond the physical. It was nearly impossible to see the fullness and vibrancy that exists just beyond the veil.

“Now, I am aware of the bubble of light that surrounds the home. The beautiful souls who therein might be making contributions to the world that most of us cannot see or understand and that makes my own spirit more joyful. I now hold my mother’s journey with an added degree of lightness and delight, which i have no doubt she feels. I know she is a great teacher for me – a teacher of journey, a teacher of love and a teacher of dying and death.” p. 62, Gift of the Hit, Vol 1. Special thanks to Joscelyn Duffy , who is also a contributor, for editing.

The stories contributed to Volume 1 speak about courage, perseverance, resiliency, hope and more. Check out the list of authors, some of whom are personal friends, and story titles.

• A Focus on Love and Life ~ Tatiana and Dave (Still-Birth)
• A Stroke of Good Luck ~ Halina St. James (Stroke)
• The Blessings of ADD: A Story of Perseverance ~ Paul R. Roy (ADD)
• Passion, Purpose and Beauty ~ Kelly Falardeau (Burn Survivor)
• I Am Ballsy ~ Thomas Cantley (Cancer)
• Soul Journey Beyond Human Tragedy ~ Kathy Jourdain (Dementia)
• The Impossible is Possible ~ Louise Levesque-Burley (Blindness)
• Letting Go of the Imaginary Child ~ Topher Wurts (Autism)
• Ripening into Gratitude ~ Dena Churchill (Divorce)
• Perspective and Prioritization ~ Mark Black (Heart and Lung Transplant)
• Finding Myself ~ Patricia Arnoldin (Sexual Abuse)
• The Queen of Hearts Called My Bluff ~ Peter Davison (Parkinson’s)
• Mother Bear Reflects on Loss and Recovery ~ Sheila Morrison (Mental Health)
• Flying From the Cocoon ~ Joscelyn Duffy (Lupus)
• Being Authentically Alive ~ Jeanie Cockell (Car accident)
• Uncovering Lessons Through the Anxiety of Divorce ~ Corey Poirier (Divorce)
• Planting Seeds for Renewed Joy ~ Ella-Fay Zalezsak (Widowed)
• Equal Parts Heaven and Hell ~ Ken Pierce (Heart Attack)
• The Seeds of Nourishment ~ Jenny Kierstead (Anorexia)
• A Glimpse of the Other Side ~ David Maginley (Near Death Experience)
• Rising Above Suffering and Despair ~ Michael and Jackie (ALS)