This is our last eNewsletter of 2016 and I feel like I should write something profound that summarizes our year. I just re-read our past eNewsletters to remind myself of what happened this year, and I’m impressed. We offered seven events, and each one provided something that was valuable to me on my healing journey.

I know this is a busy time, so I won’t review all of them, but I want to share with you one comment from a woman who attended the last retreat we offered at Westerbeke Ranch. The women who attended that retreat have stayed in touch via email. Last week we received this message from one of our group:

“I have not emailed since our retreat, first focusing on my son’s L.A. fairytale wedding and then the start of chemo, or as we call it, Love Potion #9. I would like to tell you all how much you mean to me, and how much that weekend meant and continues to mean.

When I first arrived at Westerbeke and I saw all you beautiful, laughing, talking women, I was sure I was in the wrong place. You certainly did not look or behave like any image of a cancer patient I had! You had joy, and I had no joy, no hope, no reason to be anything other than morose. You all showed me I could make a different choice, and you did that by your way of being. Karen’s music and Briget’s wisdom sealed the deal. You are in my heart, in my prayers, always.”

This illustrates why I continue with the work of Healing Journeys. We need each other as a source of hope, information, joy, and comfort. My heart is full because of the connections I have made and have witnessed through Healing Journeys. I have heard the same comment from many of you.

Your support of Healing Journeys and your encouragement for me to continue this work has benefited thousands of people. I am grateful and want you to know how much I appreciate you. I know there are many requests for your donations, and I thank you for including Healing Journeys in your end-of-year giving. Your tax-deductible donations will inform and support the programs we plan for next year, and will provide information, hope, encouragement, laughter, and connection to people touched by cancer.

I also want to share with you another source of inspiration I have recently experienced in the form of a new book, n of 1, by Glenn Sabin. Glenn was a speaker at our conference in Sacramento in 2012 and has just published his story of one man’s Harvard-documented remission of incurable cancer using only natural methods. In an easy-to-read style, he takes readers along his remarkable journey with ‘incurable’ cancer. Glenn is offering a special discount to the Healing Journeys community. You can take advantage of the discount, and read a brief review in the Book Review section below.

In this holiday season, I wish you moments of comfort, joy, peace, gratitude, and connection. I am grateful for the tools I have learned this year to create those moments for myself no matter what the external circumstances. I just need to remember to practice.

As always, I welcome your comments; to reply please click here.

In the Spirit of Healing,

Jan Adrian, MSW
Founder and Executive Director