Rainbow Connections

Vera Waters

Description

It is 22 years since Vera Water's first book 'Half a Rainbow' was published. It enjoyed immediate success, which was also achieved by the three other volumes she has written subsequently. [The Other Half of the Rainbow, Recipe for a Rainbow & Strong tea & Biscuits]Fully committed to her many clients Vera still responds to personal requests for personal appearances and lectures as well as radio, T.V. broadcasts and presentations. This & her writing have enabled her to reach a wide audience both here and abroad thus giving people the opportunity to benefit from her wisdom and sound advice. A regular speaker in the U.S.A. She draws on her vast experience as a life coach, counsellor and trainer. Through her readiness to confide in her readers and unhesitatingly share with them the many aspects of her rich and varied life Vera continues to offer encouragement & insight into the human condition. This latest book is laced with humour, insight and astute generosity of spirit.

Informations

• Publié par: Penn Cottage Books
• Date de parution: 31 octobre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780951695265
• Langue: English

Extrait

Rainbow Connections
True Reflections
VERA WATERS
Penn Cottage Books
Copyright Vera Waters© 2012
The right of Vera Waters to be identi ed as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-0-9516952-5-8
Published by Penn Cottage Books, Penn Cottage, PO Box 121, Chorley, Lancashire. England PR6 8GF Tel: [phone] For Talks & presentations – www.verawaters.com
Other Books by this Author CD’s Half a Rainbow Little by little The Other Half of the Rainbow Where do you keep the guitar? Recipe for a Rainbow All available from Strong Tea & Biscuits www.penncottagebooks.co.uk

Exact dates, times and chronological pattern may uctuate due to recollection. Names have been changed.
Printed and bound by Print Bureau, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire(Tel: [phone])
Dedication
This book is dedicated with warmth and deep affection to John Gammons my literary agent for over twenty years. He died on the second day of November 2011 and is much missed.
Acknowledgements
My thanks as always to my family whose support for my work encourages me to continue and never give up!
Also my thanks to the following people
David Moore who at short notice stepped in as proof reader.
Scott Lebin, my friend and mentor for his introduction.
Michael Sewell, for his patience & lovely photography.
Sister Mary Anthony; Hyning Monastery, for her support throughout.
Jake Hope Preston Libraries Reading and Development Manager for his professional advice.
To all those people some now long gone whose stories are related here…my deep and humble thanks, it was my privilege to have known you.
And last but by no means least to you, the all so important reader.

Vera Waters
Contents
Scott Lebin Introduction Acknowledgements
Welcome -->
Introduction
Beginnings
The Tale of the Blue Christmas Beads
Oranges and Lemons
At a Glance……..
The Leaving
The Apprenticeship
Selina Silver
Kindness and the Emotional Bank
Rescue Mission
Garden Visitors
Faith or Fate
‘With Perseverance the Snail reached the Ark.’
Constant Companions
Not A Hero In Memoriam
Listen and you will hear
To Wash or Not to Wash That is the Question
In Grief
The Sky Parlour
The Postcard
Restoration Now available -->
Welcome
We often don’t think about our lives being made up of a series of stories. It is these stories that shape our lives. We also learn from the stories that are rooted in the lives of others.
It is Vera’s skill in extricating from the stories of her life the universal truths that can be shared with us as readers. We soon are drawn into her stories and at the same time she magically connects us to our own stories. Reading her stories, we are able to distil a bit of wisdom, a truth, a laugh, or a warm moment of love that exposes in our own stories meaning we have missed or forgotten.
Her ability to make us feel that we are sitting in the same room, drinking a cup of tea with her and sharing an understanding of loss, humor, life, or love that she weaves into life lessons that we often take for granted. Her simple stories relay important messages about the meaning of life. Her wisdom permeates each episode.
Anyone who knows Vera personally knows that she tells her stories without pretense. She sees through the complications of life and rejoices in the simple truths about the human condition. The revealing way she tells each story reminds us of the joy we often had as children discovering the truths about the world in which we lived.
Some of the simplest elements of life are lled with complexity. In Strong Tea & Biscuits Vera makes many of the complex issues that we face seem so simple to understand. She nds beauty when most of us would not see it; she nds joy when many of us would nd only sorrow, and she nds good lessons about life when most of us would look for pity from others. Strong Tea & Biscuits is a book of stories, and I am looking forward to this her new book Rainbow Connections which I am sure will provide more stories we can connect to our own personal journeys and help feed our souls with perspective on the life we are leading.
Scott Lebin President Managed Economics for Doctors, Inc. Geneva, Illinois, USA
Introduction
It was raining. It had rained for several days, and as I drove along a road close to my house, I said aloud to myself, "I really need a rainbow, please send me a rainbow." As if by magic a rainbow appeared. Not a faint half rainbow, but a full arc. Its span was enormous; one end stretching from the motorway, rising regally into the clouds above, only to plunge into the green fields beyond. It truly was a wonderful sight. I felt jubilant, happy and content. My rainbow had arrived!
Life is like a rainbow, spanning every emotional shade and colour. So many times we experience the yellow of happiness and joy, and then there are those indigo days when things just all seem to go wrong. The green of the spirit and the orange of adventure serve to give us variety, whilst the blue encourages our dreams.
From a very early age I stood totally immovable whenever a rainbow appeared. I wanted to be still and to embrace the wonder of the miracle taking place before my eyes.
When the first pages of this book were completed I thought long and hard about a title. Always for me a difficult task; but as the chapters grew and each one was completed, I was no nearer to finding those special words.
It was then that my agent and friend David came to the rescue. He suggested that each of the pieces I had written was in some way connected to the rest like the colours of the rainbow.
He, as usual was right, but not content with that he then sent me a recording of Karen Carpenter singing ‘Rainbow Connections,’ and as the memories of that era came ooding back, I was encouraged and enabled to finish the book. As I write this introduction, the music is playing in the background. I am surrounded by my wondrous collection of books. My loving Labrador lies at my feet and I am so pleased that you too are joining me.
Writing a book is time consuming and quite a commitment; something I don’t take on lightly, even though I find it such a pleasure. However, because so many of you who have read my other books have contacted me, asking for more, it was a delight to pick up my pen at your bidding and visit my old haunts again, so to speak!
As always I hope that my words will reach into a corner of your heart, stirring your emotions with laughter and the occasional tear. After all isn’t that what life is truly about?
Remember you are special and unique. Keep safe until we meet again

Vera Waters
Beginnings
It took a while before the ame from the match caused the paper to catch alight and burn but when eventually the ames took hold, I knew that the task I had set myself was beginning. How often during the past years had I made the decision to get rid of my office papers; not the usual paper you understand. Not simply an aid to the writer’s gift; these papers were much more personal and consequently of far greater value than the detritus that we accumulate at the end of a busy office week. Having retained them at random, they came in no particular order, constituting boxes of memories, people, places, events and happenings.
During a career spanning forty years, I have met so many people. Some have come to me seeking help as clients do, others have heard me speak and kept in touch for years, telling me of their lives, family’s adventures and mishaps. Many people of all ages attended my workshops. Some were sent as part of their training within one profession or another. Always within this group there would be those who did not want to be involved in the process at all. They came to join me unwillingly, feeling that they had been deprived of their freedom to choose how they trained. There were also those individuals whom I would call the seekers. Those lovely beings who searched for answers and were open minded and wise enough to know that to understand others, we must first know and come to terms with ourselves, accepting our gifts and talents, as well as our shortcomings. They wanted to explore cerebrally; to know more, and to understand the very essence of life itself. If you belong to this last group of people, then you are a person enquiring, looking for answers. A human being, man or woman; on a mission!
It has been my privilege to play a part however small in the lives of others; my role as always, to pass on knowledge, learning, and information, thus hopefully encouraging people to experience life in a positive way, supporting them, that they may arise like the phoenix from the ashes of life’s crises, tragedies and pain.
The papers I was attempting to burn and destroy were the letters and cards received from these same interesting people, and as I watched the ames burn through the paper, I realized how much this life has meant to me and indeed how precious it still is. Every day is a bonus, an opportunity to discover and enjoy more of life and its mysteries.
As I began my task, it was not my intention to read as I disposed of the papers, but how tempting it proved to be to return through the years, reading the notions and thoughts of dozens of Johns, Marys and Bobs, to name but a few of the signatures that swam before my eyes.
Of course you will appreciate that it was the smoke that brought tears to my eyes in those moments, that’s my story at least!
And then I saw a halting handwritten scrawl across a well worn sheet and as I read the words, the face o