Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Violent Family


I have a unique relationship with Karla and her family. I've known them for 14 years. When I lived in Arkansas in 1992, I had exhausted all my resources and found myself homeless, so I called my sister in Woodstock, GA. She immediately invited me to fly to GA and move in with her until I could live on my own again. Within a week, I found an ad in the paper for a live-in nanny for Karla, who was two at the time. I moved in the following day, meeting Darlene (Karla's mother) for the first time. I was there for about a year, then I moved into a personal care home to work with Alzheimer's patients, but I kept in touch with Karla's family. We've had our ups and downs, but recently Darlene offered to help me with my MS. She is a Reiki Master and has powerful intuitive abilities. She also works at a health food store, where I get the supplements she suggests. She is doing this for me on a weekly basis at no cost. Needless to say, we are friends once again, and the connection is still there, stronger than ever. I never thought that was possible. I am so thrilled!!!

Darlene's ex-husband died about 4 years ago. His name was Jim Brice, who was at the forefront of the mental health consumer movement at the time. I helped him open Georgia's first drop-in center for mental health consumers. We were great friends, and I introduced him to Darlene. They fell in love and got married shortly afterward. I even went to their weddings -- and I don't do weddings! They had a son (born at home) named Alex. He's 8 years old now (I think). He looks just like Jim, and he's a great kid!

So the family consists of Darlene, Karla, and Alex. There's also Kenny, who I met recently, and he and Karla have a very interesting relationship. They are very close friends. This video shows the day I got my first Reiki session with Darlene. I hope you enjoy it even though violence is the theme. They really aren't violent, but I couldn't resist making this video.

2 comments:

Bob Westbrook said...

Cool stuff. It is always good to know you made some ripples in the pond of life that continue to produce good. Now I have to learn what Reiki is. When you experience the extremes in life you are better able to help others. Love your spirit.

Jayme said...

Yes, Bob, you get it! I wasn't sure if anyone was getting it until your comment. Thank you for commenting!