At the time Mary Simon Leuci embarked on a four-month journey to Sri Lanka in 1980, she had no idea just how deeply this experience would impact her life. As part of the International Four-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) program, her goal was to become immersed in the host culture in order to promote peace. The welcoming nature that she received from the Sri Lankan people – their willingness to open their homes, minds, and hearts to an “outsider” – immediately resonated with a passion she would later connect to community development.
As Mary explains, “The process of working together to create something we cannot do alone and the excitement of these collective ideas and actions taking shape always captures me. I definitely draw personal satisfaction and energy from seeing people thinking and working together [with the collective goal] to make something possible for them, their neighbors, and future generations.”
There are a number of levels behind Mary’s love of community development. At the surface, there is the joy of directly benefiting people through uplifting their surroundings. On a deeper level, Mary serves as an “international ambassador of peace.” She thrives by connecting people from different backgrounds and uniting them in a quest to create vibrant local economies.
This passion continues to guide Mary in her private and professional endeavors. For more on Mary’s story, see her contribution in “Women as Healers: Voices of Vibrancy.”
Shortly after writing her story for “Women as Healers: Voices” of Vibrancy, Connie Nelson Ahlberg experienced a near-fatal car accident that continues to demand attention from the medical community. After getting caught under her moving car and literally dragged down her driveway, Connie suffered three fractures (clavicle, humerus, and scapula) and underwent two surgeries. Most importantly, she is alive to tell her amazing story.
What I find amazing about Connie’s recent close call is the way she reflects on it. As a writer of prayers in prose for more than 24 years, it goes without saying that Connie has a way of choosing words that invite the imagination. She shared the following, “Finding sacredness and truth is being awake for it. This speaks of the Buddhist tradition of mindfulness. In my time at the rehabilitation center at Augustana in Apple Valley, MN, there were many profound events.” While many would spend this prolonged, three-month hospital and rehab time filled with frustration and resentment, Connie decided to “lean into it” and be present in order to find the sacredness in everyday life. Connie’s three roommates in rehab greeted her with openness, as well as taught her important life lessons about tenacity and courage. Without a doubt, she made eternal connections with them.
There is so much to be learned from Connie Nelson Ahlberg that one simple blog post cannot do justice. Her words of empowerment, spirituality, and prayer continue to inspire all that read them. For more on Connie’s journey with depression and her inspirational outlook on life, read her story in “Women as Healers: Voices of Vibrancy.”
In a profession that values perfection and superficiality, Kay Casperson is a breath of fresh air. For the past 25 years, Kay has donned a number of titles within the beauty industry from consultant to research and development director. Now, a nationally known beauty and lifestyle expert, she has developed a skincare line calledBIO Essentials and a cosmetics line called INSIDE I’m Gorgeous. BIO stands for Beauty Inside Out and each product encourages individuals to live a life of balance and beauty.
What sets BIO Essentials apart from other similar brands is its goal to inspire true beauty. “True beauty,” as Kay explains, “means finding the delicate balance between inner and outer beauty, and appreciating who you are as an individual.” Each of the eight products within the Beauty Inside Out product line (Remove, Refresh, Repair, Revitalize, Replenish, Renew, Refine and Resurface) is tied to an affirmation that seeks to heal a certain area of life. For example, every bottle of the Remove facial cleanser has the statement, “identify and remove negative influences in your life.” Therefore, as an individual uses these products to promote outer-beauty, they are healing their inner-self at the same time. This idea of true beauty has a number of healing implications such as a newfound confidence and a deeper love for life.
For most of us, the subject of death is not an easy subject to talk about. After the passing of Ann Leach’s mother to lung cancer, she had conversations about death with many people. This inspired her life work. Today, she is the founder and president of Life Preservers: A Global Grief Support Community.
Remembering the insights that Ann learned during her past experiences of caring for her mother, she uses Life Preservers to heal and provide assistance to others going though similar hardships. Ann’s optimism, passion to support caregivers, and her motto of heading “onward and upward” stand as an example of the endless possibilities that can be accomplished when we face our fears and open up to the world around us. Ann comments, “We are each on our own path of learning the lessons we most need to learn at this time through the experiences we’ve chosen to have in our lives.”
As a speech pathologist, Eleanor Wiley learned something amazing! Through helping people with developmental disabilities overcome their impairment and communicate with their surroundings, she realized that being interconnected with the world is one of the most important things in life.
This early experience eventually led her to design The Sacred Wheel of Peace® … A Place to Begin, a prayer bead that promotes unity amongst different cultures. According to Eleanor her intent is clear, “We must all work together in order to move forward in peace and harmony.”
Wheel of Peace
Eleanor’s Sacred Wheels may look ordinary upon first glance, however the bead’s simplistic design is the key to its profoundness. The Wheel’s symbolism can be understood in a number of different ways. This, in turn, represents the diversity of the world in which we live. Eleanor gives an example of a possible meaning, “When using the wheel as a metaphor for one’s own life or the community, it allows you to see what happens when we remove any part of the wheel. When this happens, the wheel becomes unbalanced and falls apart.”
Eleanor has since used these beads in conjunction with numerous peace projects and lectures around the world. Her work towards promoting unity and tranquility can be seen around the necks of people from all walks of life. For more on Eleanor Wiley and The Sacred Wheel of Peace®, read her story in “Women as Healers: Voices of Vibrancy.”
One only has to talk with Judy Berry for a short time to see the dedication she has in her professional life. Judy’s story is an amazing example of how a simple idea can grow into something truly inspiring. After observing the misuse of care towards her mother in 1996, Judy identified the need for a more dignified care model towards those suffering from dementia. After leaving her corporate job and taking a large financial risk, she opened a resident home that caters to senior citizens suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Today, Judy is CEO of Lakeview Ranch with two beautiful residential homes in rural Minnesota.
Many people told Judy her idea couldn’t be done—it wouldn’t work! Judy is an amazing “passion-broker” and succeeds against all odds. She teaches each of us the importance of believing in our dreams and persevering until our dreams become a reality. Judy says, “I’m living proof!” She has stayed true to her vision and continues to heal those around her.
The story of Rusty McDermott is one of undying faith. Deeply religious, Rusty had dedicated 26 years to sharing her affinity for God as a hospital minister to the sick. However, on the morning of November 17, 1991, her world (along with this religious devotion) was shattered after her youngest daughter was a homicide victim.
Rusty’s story title in “Women as Healers” is “Faith Break.” The loss of her daughter not only broke her faith for a long time, but she also took a break from hospital ministry. During this hiatus, Rusty turned to music – an element of life that has been a constant for her. She recorded a vocal CD of healing music that continues to be used at liturgical events and hospital bedsides, as well as for personal meditation. Click here for more information on Rusty’s music.
Several years after the loss of her daughter, Rusty returned to hospital ministry and takes advantage of every opportunity to share her voice with the world. “Music has brought me joy and lifted my spirit,” Rusty says. “It has comforted me during difficult times and provided a means for me to express myself. The mere fact that I can touch someone through song fills me with joy.”
Cathi has suffered tremendous loss throughout her life. Instead of shutting out the outside world, Cathi has turned these tragedies into motivation to help other bereaved parents. This eventually led her to get involved with Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc., a support network that serves those whose lives are touched by the death of a baby due to pregnancy loss, stillbirth or in the first few months of life.
Cathi’s story is a testament of how something as tragic as experiencing a death of a loved one can be used to heal others in a similar situation. When reflecting on her life’s journey, Cathi shares, “These hardships in my life have taught me to always stop the busy role I have in my professional life when a loved one needs me and to keep my priorities straight. Additionally, they have taught me to never underestimate the power of just being with a person.”
After reading Andrea Romeiser’s story in Women as Healers: Voices of Vibrancy, one can’t help but be inspired. Her 2 ½-year journey of triumphing over breast cancer stands as a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. Throughout her experience of numerous surgeries (10 total!), Andrea maintained her determination to experience life with a humorous attitude.
It has often been said that the healing process lasts long after being “cured” of a particular health issue. For Andrea, a registered nurse who works in southwest Missouri, this healing comes in the form of traditions. In addition to her annual participation in the Relay for Life, Andrea and four of her friends can be seen having fun in Las Vegas. This yearly trip is taken during December to commemorate the month in which Andrea’s cancer was removed. After hearing Andrea talk about this Famous Vegas Trip, it is clear that “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!!”
At the heart of these traditions – the Relay for Life and the Vegas trip – is the idea of celebrating life; the simple yet profound fact that we are on this Earth to enjoy another year of life. Whether Andrea is spending a week in Nevada or organizing a Relay, she uses these traditions to continue her healing process.
In the world of faith-based nursing, Jan Erlenbaugh Gaddis is a pioneer. Since 1996, she has worked as a parish nurse at St. Francis Hospitals in Indianapolis. By combining a practice of faith and nursing, Jan is able to help those in need work towards healing on a holistic level.
Since completing her nursing education, Jan continues to be a student of life, always being open and willing to learn from those around her. As Jan progresses into the new chapters of her life, she is constantly reminded of the lesson and mystery of letting go. It is clear to see how this idea has manifested itself in Jan’s life. She comments, “Only when we truly let go can things open up so much more. If we are continually clinging to the things around us, then how can new things happen? Therefore, I practice the mystery of letting go, of stepping back.”
At the time Mary Simon Leuci embarked on a four-month journey to Sri Lanka in 1980, she had no idea just how deeply this experience would impact her life. As part of the International Four-H Youth Exchange (IFYE) program, her goal was to become immersed in the host culture in order to promote peace. The welcoming nature that she received from the Sri Lankan people – their willingness to open their homes, minds, and hearts to an “outsider” – immediately resonated with a passion she would later connect to community development.
