Table Of ContentWhat People Are Saying About
Conscious Women – Conscious Lives
B O O K T W O
Darlene is one of those special people who can truly inspire others.
Her stories are very rare, kind, sincere, and beloved. You may get
“tearbugs” or find yourself in a fit of laughter. But in the end, you
will feel better and stronger.
~ Julie Isphording, NPR Radio Talk Show Host and Producer
Conscious Women – Conscious Lives Book Two wakes up the heart
to what is true and important in life. A wonderful and heartwarm-
ing collection that is worth reading.
~Melvina Walter, Executive Director, The Women’s Centre
You will laugh, cry, learn and grow, and most of all, the deepest part
of your soul will connect powerfully with the universal wisdom and
love that is woven throughout this book and found in the fabric of
each and every story. Conscious Women – Conscious Lives Book Two
is a book that honors and celebrates life in all its shades and forms
… Thank you, Darlene Montgomery, for bringing this gift to us!
~ Jill Hewlett, Host, Body, Mind, and Spirit Television
Conscious Women – Conscious Lives Book Two is a potent tribute to
the amazing ability of women to rise out of extraordinary circum-
stances and reinvent themselves. These stories prove that miracles
are alive today in ordinary people’s lives.
~ Heather Thompson, News Director/Radio Host, 105.9 Jack FM
An extraordinary series of stories! Conscious Women – Conscious
Lives Book Two is a modern account of how legacies are created in
ordinary women’s lives.
~ Janet Matthews, Author, Inspirational Speaker
Co-author, Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul
Darlene’s collection of stories will lead you gently through the
barrier of fear to the pathway of hope. I felt the healing experience
of each woman as she held her fear and trusted. These remarkable
women remind us about our own Goddess within and how we can
inspire our future from love and peace instead of fear. What a
wonderful book! It lightened my heart.
~ Colleen Hoffman Smith, author of Pocket Guide to Your Heart and
Pocket Guide to Your Heart for Relationships
As we feel the pain, the joy, and the insights of these remarkable
stories, inevitably we relate to our own life experience and take up
the implied invitation to reflect on what is truly important to us.
They say that stories are the healing breath of our ancestors. Here
is a book that is the healing breath of unmet friends.
~ Fay Wilkinson, An Illisaiji of Expressive Arts
Conscious Women –
Conscious Lives
B O O K T W O
Conscious Women –
Conscious Lives
B O O K T W O
Darlene Montgomery
From the Social Issues Series:
White Knight’s Remarkable Women
White Knight Publications
Toronto, Canada
Copyright © 2005 by Darlene Montgomery
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication reproduced, transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or
stored in a retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The Publisher – or, in the
case of photocopying or other reprographic copying, a license from the Canadian Copyright
Licensing Agency – is an infringement of the copyright law.
Published in 2005 by
White Knight Publications, a division of Bill Belfontaine Ltd.
Suite 103, One Benvenuto Place, Toronto Ontario Canada M4V 2L1
T. 416-925-6458 F, 416-925-4165 • e-mail
Contents
Dedication ..................................................................................9
Acknowledgements ..................................................................11
Introduction .............................................................................13
Healing Journeys
Life is a Gift • Sybil Barbour....................................................17
Once at Big Lake • Laura Reave..............................................21
Healing My Perceptions • Marianne Williamson ...................23
A Circle of Friends: Part Two • Arlene Forbes.........................27
The Road Less Traveled • Deborah Davis...............................30
Starting to Choose • Georgina Cannon ..................................37
These Things Shall Never Die • Charles Dickens ..................41
Journey Back to Life • Sheri Kaplan........................................42
Crossing Over
The Emperor’s New Clothes • Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. ....49
Grappling With Destiny • Merrily Bronson ...........................55
My Last Journey • Ruth Edgett ...............................................62
Why I Lived, And Why I Died • Judy Prang ..........................63
A Taste of Death • Jo Leonard.................................................66
Contemplation on Monet’s Water Lilies • Laura Reave .......69
On Finding Purpose
A Prayer To Know One’s Calling • Erin Davis .......................73
Opening My Eyes to the Light • Marianne Bai-Woo .............77
A Lion’s Heart • Cathleen Fillmore .........................................85
Mastery • Janine Gwendoline Smith .......................................90
The Good Girl • Kati Alexandra..............................................91
On Losing a Loved One
Remembering Eric • Tracy Clausell-Alexander .......................97
The Visit • Carole Matthews..................................................101
Keep the Channel Open • Martha Graham .........................105
The Littlest Angel • Brenda Mallory .....................................106
C o n s c i o u s W o m e n – C o n s c i o u s L i v e s , B o o k Tw o
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The Gift of Miracles • Cynthia Brian ...................................109
One Small Miracle • Jo Leonard............................................115
A Garden in Brooklyn• Laura Reave .....................................118
On Mothers and Daughters
The Hug • Barbara Allport ....................................................121
A Pact Made in Heaven • Sandra Irvine................................125
Coming Home to Oz • Christine Switzer .............................129
Lord Make Me An Instrument • Saint Francis of Assisi ......135
Creating Our Reality
If You Were Really Important • Susan Jeffers, Ph.D ............139
Glenna’s Goal Book • Glenna Salsbury.................................142
Shield of Protection • Judy Vashti Persad..............................145
Managing Personal Growth • Donna Gundle-Krieg..............149
A New Way Of Seeing • Andrea Leake .................................151
The Red Chair Experiment • Shelley Hyndman...................154
Magical Love Story • Claudette Viau....................................158
Santa Fe Dreamin’ • Alissa M. Lukara..................................162
About the Author....................................................................171
Other Books By Darlene Montgomery ..................................172
A Message from the Publisher................................................175
Contributors............................................................................177
Permissions ..............................................................................191
D a r l e n e M o n t g o m e r y
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