Foundation for Grace: A Healing Space
It is so important that we, in our grief, have a soft place to come in our most vulnerable state, our time of deep pain and anguish. We want to extend this welcome to all of you who come here looking for comfort and relief from your sorrow. This is our healing space.
Here you will find common ground with others who are grieving. And to support you who are seeking resources to help those you love who are hurting. We honor whatever is compelling you to take this step on your healing journey, as we hold you in our hearts. This is a healing space for you.
With Grace,
Aerial Gilbert’s entry into a place of loss was traumatic, sudden and like most loss, it was profound and personal. This is just a glimpse into what she has done with her loss, her heroic journey and teaching us what is possible. She is one of the most inspiring human beings I have known from my past, and have been so blessed to recently reunite with her. She was my Uncle’s wife and such a gift of a human being to me as a child. The imprint she left upon my heart was indelible, and I am sure, the brilliance of her courage will leave an imprint on your heart you will not soon forget.
With gratitude and Grace, Anna
“March 28, 1988, my life changed forever. When I finished my shift as a pediatric nurse at Marin General Hospital, my eyes felt irritated. I put in some over-the-counter eye drops I’d bought at a store. As soon as I felt the pain, I knew something was terribly wrong. I found out later that the drops had been adulterated with lye. I was that one-in-ten-million person who becomes a random victim of tampering. Suddenly I was a toddler in a 34-year-old body. Over the next six months I stayed at home, didn’t do anything but listen to books and music, and thought my life as I knew it was over…” Read on
A ROW IN THE DARK
by AERIAL GILBERT
Carey Chenoweth, Aerial Gilbert and Perry Heffelfinger
The fog was dense and the sun would not be up for another hour. Somewhere behind us was Catalina Island, somewhere in front the California coast. Just moments before my rowing partner, Perry Heffelfinger, and I had put our oars in the water for the start of the 1999 Annual Catalina Crossing, a 33- mile race across open ocean. Perry tried to keep Melee, our escort boat, and her husband, Carey Chenoweth, rowing his single scull nearby, in view, but with the fog and the ocean swells, it became increasingly difficult. I felt the fog on my face and the only sounds were our blades entering the water, the creak of the oarlocks, and our nervous, rapid breathing. Soon I could feel Perry’s oars chattering on the water, and her voice became increasingly tense. “Let’s try the walkie-talkie and see if we can raise Melee,” I suggested. No response. Next we tried the cell phone and again there was no response. Perry saw lights from other escort boats and decided to chase down one of them. We increased the power, but after a few minutes it was no use; our escort was out of sight and seemingly unreachable. Shut in as if in a shrinking room, walls and ceiling closing in, Perry and I suddenly were on equal footing—because I am blind.
We now had to rely on our navigation equipment: a compass and the Geographical Positioning System, or GPS, which we were not very familiar with. We set our compass heading for Marina del Rey and rowed on alone.
In the silence I thought about when I first began rowing in college. I had participated in other sports, but none gave me the joy that rowing provided. The physical skill and teamwork balanced with power was as beautiful to experience as it was to watch, for I still had my sight back then. I looked at rowing as a metaphor for life, individuals working together to eke the most out of their effort. After college, I joined the Sausalito Rowing Club and enjoyed all that San Francisco Bay had to offer—the sea life, the birds. Rowing opened up a new and versatile way to explore Richardson Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge, through Raccoon Straits and around Angel Island. I could imagine the region at different periods of time—when the Indians lived on the land, when Jack London stole oysters from the bay, or when the Liberty Ships were built in Sausalito.
March 28, 1988, my life changed forever. When I finished my shift as a pediatric nurse at Marin General Hospital, my eyes felt irritated. I put in some over-the-counter eye drops I’d bought at a store. As soon as I felt the pain, I knew something was terribly wrong. I found out later that the drops had been adulterated with lye. I was that one-in-ten-million person who becomes a random victim of tampering. Suddenly I was a toddler in a 34-year-old body. Over the next six months I stayed at home, didn’t do anything but listen to books and music, and thought my life as I knew it was over. Then an acquaintance from the boathouse called and said, “I am taking you out rowing in a double.” She told me that I didn’t need to see to row and that she would steer the boat. The skeptical owner of the boathouse nervously agreed to let me try. I instantly remembered my technique and realized that sight wasn’t important. For the first time I was able to escape for a few moments the ever-present awareness of being blind, and just feel the boat and the oars as I moved my body in the coordinated rhythm of the stroke.
Over the next couple of years I mastered techniques that would allow me to live a normal life without sight. I attended the Orientation Center for the Blind in Albany, California, where I learned independent mobility with a cane, reading and writing in Braille, how to cook and live independently. I attended Guide Dogs for the Blind, where I got my first Guide Dog, Webster, a yellow Labrador retriever. On my first walk with Webster I got an inkling that I could walk as fast as everyone else and I could move without evaluating every step I took. With my regained dignity and self esteem, I went back to work at Marin General Hospital, first developing x-rays, and then as a medical transcriber. I also volunteered at Guide Dogs, giving tours of the their campus. In 1994 I was hired full time as their Director of Volunteers, and currently manage 425 volunteers who work in many capacities on the San Rafael campus.
Aerial (left) and her rowing partner Perry Heffelfinger prepare for the 1999 Catalina Crossing.
On New Years Day 1998 I was introduced to Perry Heffelfinger, who had rowed the Catalina Crossing for nine years in a single rowing shell. Perry wanted to row Catalina one last time in a single, but asked if I would consider rowing with her in a double in 1999. Could I row for six hours continuously? Was I strong enough? Could I endure the pain? Was I good enough to row with Perry? In 1998 we tested the waters together. Perry hadn’t spent much time rowing in a double. It was awkward at first, having to consider another person in the boat, keeping our strokes in unison, Perry talking me through what she wanted me to do. In the beginning we were like two teenagers learning how to dance together—we needed some time to get coordinated in the boat. We decided we would first attempt a short race before committing to Catalina. We entered the Open Ocean Rowing Regatta (OORR) in May 1999 and came in second behind the US Women’s National Rowing Champions, with a respectable time of 1 hour 15 minutes in this 8 mile race. Perry realized I had the stamina and strength to match hers, and that Catalina in a double was possible.
We needed a double rowing shell we could borrow for the race, a rack and vehicle to transport the boat, and a powered escort boat to transport us out to the island and guide us through the race with a crew to cheer us. Bill Erklans at the OORR agreed to let us borrow his double for Catalina, a 29-foot Maas Dragonfly.
Aerial and Perry still smiling after a hard workout
Twice a week Perry and I would row for two hours, and, if conditions allowed, we would row around Angel Island. I joined a local gym and did weight training to increase my strength. We also did one twenty-mile row in preparation for the distance. Many details had to be considered–what to drink and eat during the race, what to wear, equipment such as life preservers, a compass, a Global Positioning System device, walkie-talkies, a cellular phone, seat pads, lights, and flares. I read the few accounts of the race that exist and talked to veterans of the race. The one common thread that all agreed to was that the race doesn’t really begin until the last two hours. The contest is truly against yourself, against your desire to quit because of the pain. I heard stories of seasickness, near-misses with freighters, and rough conditions. However, they were unanimous in their sense of great satisfaction in completing the race.
To be continued….in the next issue of Incredible People you’ll read about Aerial Gilbert’s amazing 32 mile race in the Catalina Crossing. Don’t miss it!
You can read more on Aerial and her current pursuit and triumph of heading to the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. I have posted a link to her blog which has amazing photos, more of her words and some incredible films on her rowing, training and achieving her dreams.
http://home.earthlink.net/~gdbdeanne/worlds2003/
buy clomid, Female Viagra viagra women
cheap viagra Clomid Twins akathisia zoloft
accutane attorneys Snorting Lexapro zoloft litigation
prednisone laryngitis Prednisone Diazepam stopping zoloft!
Pt5 prednisone purchase viagra 281. Viagra Directions cialis professional
zithromax Acomplia generic viagra
viagra lawyers Lipitor Zocor accutane seattle
prednisone lawsuit Accutane cipro indications
viagra sale India Viagra stopping lexapro
generic lipitor; Generic Lipitor cialis paypal
“isotretinoin accutane” Zoloft “isotretinoin accutane”
zoloft alcohol Cytotec watermelon viagra
cialis uk Lipitor Dangers Cialis 20mg cialis attorneys 25.
chinese viagra Accutane Lawyers cipro antibiotic
diuretic lasix Order Viagra prednisone drug,
nexium cost! Viagra Purchase pfizer viagra
lexapro antidepressant Prednisone Laryngitis generic lexapro
accutane seattle Viagra Overnight zoloft pregnancy,
zithromax iv Propecia Baldness lexapro antidepressant
cytotec controvery Stopping Lipitor viagra suppliers?
viagra england Super Viagra zoloft withdrawal
viagra australia Buy Viagra female viagra!
prednisone laryngitis Lipitor Congestion cipro 250mg
pfizer viagra Viagra Discount chinese viagra
viagra patent On Viagra viagra purchase
viagra directions Cialis Stories nexium rebate
viagra 100mg; Cialis Prescription legal viagra
generic lexapro Cipro 250mg buy cialis,
oral prednisone Lexapro furosemide lasix
prednisone tapering? Prednisone Tapering Cialis 20mg cialis attorneys 25.
acne accutane Cheap Cialis cialis tadalafil
prices cialis Viagra Equivalent buy acomplia
diuretic lasix Viagra Price viagra tablets
levitra attorneys? Viagra Stories viagra lawyers
generic lexapro Viagra Suppliers Unprescribed clomid using viagra 69.
Consultations/Coaching
MOTIVATION/INSPIRATIONAL MANANGEMENT
EFFECTIVE LIVING COACHING
CHALLENGING TIMES CONSULTATIONS
LIFE TRANSITION COUNSELING
CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT
IMPORTANT LIFE DECISIONS CONSULTS
BEREAVEMENT/MOURNING COUNSELING
Do you want to talk to someone who is a tower of strength? Someone who will make sense out of the confusion in life? Do you want to know what is the truth in all this insanity? Would you like input when making difficult decisions? Are you sruggling in relationships?
You are wanting something that goes a fair stretch beyond ordinary, garden-variety coaching. As you read in DON’T BLAME THE GAME, my life journey has been an extraordinary one - combined with 14 years of postsecondary education, I bring everything I have learned along the way to benefit you.
This is coaching — – Redefined — – people contact me to come to know the true nature of reality, to listen, to be listened to, to participate in their own truth, and learn. Redefined coaching, leaves people saying: “I gotta have this”, “this makes sense” , “these talks bring meaning to me and my life.”
Whether you are facing difficult times right now or wish to improve your sense of self in the world around you — my coaching services will provide the support, inspiration, and practical advice necessary for you to get what you want out of life.
Proper coaching will put things in perspective
In our work together, I can help establish a foundation– — through correct principles - that will be a benchmark for your inner peace, contentment, challenges and success in all your endeavors. Some of these are outlined in my book: “Don’t Blame the Game.”
Purpose - connotes meaning. Meaning starts with being informed. Having a sense of meaning in your life is the foundation from which the rest of your goals and dreams will emerge as well as your challenges get met.
Process - with a clear sense of direction for you, we will focus on the processes which will allow you to align your daily actions with the values you wish to center your life around. Process allows you to experience a sense of flow and to maintain your focus in this fast-paced world.
Preempt - through finely-seeded interactions, I can teach you a honed ability to sense potential problems in their infancy where you’ll be able to effectively handle them before they become overwhelming and burdensome. Life lessons tend to come back to us in disguise, until we recognize and process them correctly.
Prayer - the invisible glue which will hold you “together” even after our coaching is completed. Included in this section are simple practices of silence or contemplation, short meditations, and guidance personalized to support you for the rest of your life’s journey.
Starting with where you are right now, I will help guide and serve you, I will be available for you and help you decide where you want to go ……one session at a time.
For information on my coaching rates and how to get started, please click here:
http://laurayoung.typepad.com/rollingrishi
viagra women Buy Levitra lexapro generic
cialis pricing Cipro Xr zoloft withdrawal
cheapest viagra; Zithromax Iv “isotretinoin accutane”
accutane seattle Lipitor Patent viagra overnight
“sublingual cialis” Viagra Strips cipro lawsuits
viagra danger Clomid Steroids viagra rx
levitra sale Buying Viagra cialis propafenone
“purepac prednisone” Lexapro Medication viagra experiences
viagra canada Cipro Indications cialis attorneys
cialis vision, Geberic Nexium accutane results
viagra price? Viagra Jelly viagra price?
on viagra Cialis Pricing prices cialis
female viagra! Cialis Propafenone cipro 250mg
herbal viagra Buy Clomid zoloft generic
lexapro withdrawal Lipitor Constipation zoloft generic
homemade viagra Clomid discount viagra
discount cialis Lexapro Generic using viagra
lasix Homemade Viagra order viagra?
viagra discount Prednisone cipro
prednisone steroid Zoloft Generic lasix
prednisone lawsuit Zoloft Akathisias cialis canada?
levitra woman Generic Zoloft viagra professional
cheap viagra Sublingual Cialis viagra pharmacy
cialis vision, Cheap Lipitor amoxil
cheapest viagra; Buy Cialis accutane lawyers?
clomid online Generic Propecia lasix online
viagra rx Zoloft Pricing prednisone alcohol
cialis cost Cytotec Abortion viagra australia
lexapro medication Cipro 500mg liquid cialis
cytotec Cialis Tadalafil generic accutane;
viagra price? Nexium Cost lasix
cialis tadalafil Viagra England purchase viagra
viagra online Nexium Protonix clomid unprescribed
propecia; Clomid Online zoloft abuse
rimonabant? Pfizer Viagra prednisone steroid
