Walden in Second Grade

In Touch With His Soul

An Interview With Walden Welch,

An Important American Psychic

By Gina Cerminara

Part Two

White Feathers, White Feathers Everywhere!

WW: "I apologize for submitting my life's events to you out of sequence. Would it be all right if I added something I think might be of interest, and importance, at this time?"

Dr: "Yes, of course you may. You have been very coherent. As I said before, I want you to be as relaxed, and as much yourself, as you possibly can. I realize how difficult it is to be interviewed. Please add whatever you like, at any time. Should I be confused I will question you."

WW: "Perhaps I should have shared this story with you at an earlier time. I think it is an important introduction to the period of my life that is to follow. It certainly lends credence to my belief that most events in our lives are pre-destined. I know this strange incident held great meaning to my mother.

"Mom said that when she was fourteen she went to the San Joaquin County Fair. While there, two of her sisters dared her to have her fortune told by a Gypsy fortuneteller. She said she was one to always take a dare, so she did. I have the original handwritten reading the Gypsy wrote out for her. Mom always kept this in a little cedar chest on her vanity table. I acquired it after she died. I would like you to read it. You may wish to add it to this interview? Whatever you think."

Dr: "I'd be happy to read it." (Quote)

"You shall never know wealth,

Nor have good health,

At twenty-four,

A tall man at your door

He will always love thee,

Through eternity

Tears for three,

Then shall come to be,

A blessed Magi to comfort thee

Twenty-seven has come,

It is time to run

The tall man to be,

Has a taste for whiskey

Seven years more,

Through a very black door

Two men more,

Red and gray,

Block happiness in your pathway

The worst you shall see will come five plus three

Unable to flee,

A bed and a blanket,

A shroud to thee

White feathers, white feathers everywhere

Tears and sorrow for you, beware!

For the time has come for your greatest despair

Should you survive?

Then you shall once again see,

The tall man that has loved you for eternity

Heart broken,

Heart mended,

Thrice to be"

Dr: "What a peculiar, yet intriguing poem of sorts. Do you have any idea what this means?

WW: "Yes, although it was not until many years later that I feel I fully came to understand it.  Mom first shared this Reading this with me in 1950 when I was seven. At that time she said she finally knew what the Gypsy meant about 'White feathers, white feathers everywhere.' The Gypsy had prophesized that this was to be my mother's most difficult period of her life.

"In order to keep things in sequence, I will go back to what situations were happening in 1948 when we left San Francisco. I will get back to this confusing prediction later, for I think you will agree that this fortuneteller, did indeed, have the gift of prophecy."

Dr: "May I ask how she reacted?"

WW: "Of course. This is one of the most painful remembrances I have. I can never forget the look on her face. I had never seen such a look of pain and anguish. I knew by her expression that I had told her something even more awful than I thought it to be. I watched the color flush from her face. She was, needless to say, in a state of shock. She immediately began crying and I could tell she was having a very difficult time breathing. This scared me because I knew she had a very weak heart and I feared what I had told her might cause her to die. I really didn't know the things Les had done to me were that awful, you see?"

Dr: "Of course you couldn't have known at five years old."

WW: "And then she hugged me as tightly to her as she possibly could. She kept kissing me on my cheeks. My face was all wet from her tears. She kept saying, over and over, 'Oh, Dear God, what have I done to you? What have I done to you? Please forgive me, please forgive me.' I was so confused and upset. I thought I had done something awful. I started crying and kept asking her to forgive me. 'Please mama, please forgive me? Please?' Though many years have passed since that 'confession', the memory of it still hurts. I have never seen anyone so desperately in pain as Mom was at that moment. To add to my pain and confusion, was the fact that shortly following my confession Mom became ill and bedridden. I don't remember how many days she had to stay in bed. I think it was a matter of several weeks. She had evidently gone into heart failure, because I remember her doctor coming by for house visits almost daily. And then one day, my mother had to be taken to the hospital to stay. I was so terrified she would die and it was all because of what I had confessed to her. I was so sorry I had told her. In my young mind I thought I was responsible for her current health crisis.

"We were, as I said, living with one of my mother's younger sisters, Marion, her husband Nash and their son, my cousin Allen, who was my age. Every night at dinner time Marion would set a dinner service at the dining table next to my place and say, 'This is for Julie. Just in case she comes home tonight.' Obviously she understood the anguish I was going through in being separated from my mother. Looking at that table setting sitting beside me each evening really gave me hope.

"My grandparents lived in the town of Tracy, which was only about twenty miles from Stockton. They would drive up daily to visit Mom in the hospital. For some reason or other, I was not allowed to go along with them during their visits. Naturally, this caused me to panic. I thought Mom had died and they didn't want me to know.  My grandparents comforted me, however, by saying that Mom's doctor thought it was best I not come just in case I had a cold and might give it to her. I didn't know if I could believe this. It was only when my aunt Marion started bringing Mom's night gowns home to wash, then returning them, that I was certain my mom was alive."

Dr: "Do you recall how long she was hospitalized?"

WW: "No, not at all. I remember I started First Grade at El Dorado School. It was a pretty red brick building not far from my aunt and uncle's home. I remember that my grandmother walked me to school my very first day. Halfway between my relatives' home and the school was an enormous gray stone Catholic Church. I recall that grandma took me inside the church, and that she taught me how to pray. Mom had already taught me the customary child's prayer, 'Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep'. I said that every night before going to bed. But on this occasion, I recall watching Grandma do the Rosary along with several other Catholic rituals. You know: blessing oneself with holy water, et cetera. I was greatly impressed. What fascinated me the most was when she explained to me why there were so many red votive candles burning. Grandma said that people lit them as a prayer for loved ones who were ill and that they put them before the Holy Madonna so she would remember them and keep watch over them and make them well. She then allowed me to light one for Mama. The magic of that moment brought me great peace. In my child's mind, I totally believed that as long as I kept a candle burning, Mom would stay alive. From that day forth I would light one candle every morning on my way to school. I would use my 25 cents lunch money to pay for it. Naturally, I never ate lunch for that was the cost of a school lunch in those days.

"It was during this time that I first began to thirst for religious understanding. I soon learned the names of all of the Saints. In that I visited this church everyday by myself, I got to know it well. It was an awesomely huge and beautiful church. I truly thought that God lived inside. I would often times open hallway doors looking to find Him. I became devoted to praying to both the statues of Jesus and The Madonna. Of course, my prayers were always asking for my mother to get well and come home. It wasn't long before I became disappointed and confused as to why this didn't happen. Then one day I tried something different. There was one statue of a Saint, which fascinated me more than all the others. His name was St. Jude. My grandmother had told me that St. Jude was 'The Saint of the Impossible'. I took that to mean that if the other Saints didn't, or couldn't, answer your prayer, he would. If there were no known hope to cure somebody, if the situation was totally hopeless, St. Jude was the one person who could perform a miracle. So I started setting my votive candles at the base of his feet. Believe it or not, the day after I first did this, Mama came home! I realize, of course, that this was merely a coincidence. But at that time I thought I had truly experienced a miracle happening and that St. Jude was my special Saint and friend. I also decided that when I grew up I would become a priest to pay him back for any miracle he would perform on mom's behalf. There wasn't a day I didn't stop by the church to light my 'candle a day' to keep Mom alive. The votives cost 25 cents each, $1.75 cents per week. I wasn't getting my school lunch at that price. The candles took my whole weekly school lunch allowance. However, I finally figured out that I would come out ahead if I bought one 7-day votive candle for $1.00, thus saving 50 cents per week, which, of course, allowed me two lunches if I skipped the movies. I began learning pretty young don't you think?" (Laugh)

Dr: "Indeed you did!"

WW: "I would also like to mention that my first sightings of spirits happened at this time in my life."

Dr: "You are not referring to angels?"

WW: "No, spirits. I find it ironic that when people spook themselves with ghost stories they always seem to focus these stories around cemeteries or haunted houses. The fact is I have seen more spirits in churches than anywhere else. On several, not all, occasions when I would enter the church to light candles for my mom, I would see what I then called the 'Shadow People'. I cannot ever recall ever seeing more than two or three at a time. At first I thought they were real people. The first two that I saw were nuns. They were kneeling by the alter praying. I waited for them to finish because I needed to go to the restroom and I didn't know where it was. Finally one nun stood, turned around, and walked toward my direction. I asked her if she could 'please tell me where the restroom was?' She didn't look at me at all. She just kept walking past me as if I weren't there. I reached out to touch her arm so she would stop but my hand went through her. It was then that I realized she was just a soul and not a person."

Dr: "Did this frighten you?"

WW: "No, not at all. I was just kind of amazed and fascinated. I think I instinctively realized she was 'just a soul' and, of course, would not hurt me. I would often times also see a very old lady who would always be kneeling in front of the statue of The Virgin Mary. She was always in prayer and saying her rosary. She would whisper her prayers and I would try to hear what she was saying because she seemed so sad. I knew she was praying for her daughter. I somehow knew her daughter had died and that she was grieving for her. I felt very sorry for her and wanted to talk to her and tell her I cared and that I was sorry."

Dr: "Did you speak with her?"

WW: " I tried once to, but she couldn't hear me. I don't think she even knew I was there. From that time on I would just keep to myself and not try to bother or talk to them. As an adult I, of course, realize these spirits were simply discarnate, souls of the dead who were out of their bodies. They obviously did not know they had died and were simply repeating acts of repetition."

Dr: "I am amazed you accepted them so acceptingly."

WW: "It truly seemed natural to me. I knew we were all there for the same purpose, which was to pray for the people we loved."

Dr: "Did you tell your mother that you saw these 'Shadow People' while you visited the church?"

WW: "Yes, a few years later, but not at the time. I never told her that I used to light candles for her, you see? That would have probably saddened her that I was so worried about her. I kept that to myself. Nobody ever knew about this."

Dr: "How did she react when you spoke to her about seeing the 'Shadow People'?"

WW: "Mom was well aware that I was different in this way. She never acted as if the things I told her were unusual. I had no idea at that time that other people didn't see sprits too. I was never aware there was anything different about me until I was around thirteen. Mom was a very spiritual woman. Although definitely a follower of the Catholic faith, she was also a great believer in miracles, psychic phenomena and things like that. She felt that all things came from God and, therefore, all things were good if we used them for good. This was how she felt about my psychic abilities. She believed that I had been given this gift to do good for people. She was very simplistic in her sweetness. Although very intelligent, she had the ability to separate the intellectual side of herself from the spiritual side. I have this ability, too. Therefore, she believed that all things were possible even if the intellectual or scientific mind could not reason it. Mom had a childlike absolute faith in the unknown."

Dr: "What other important events happened during this period of your life?"

 WW: "The only other two incidents which may be of interest to you during this period were that I saw Les for the last time, and that my mother married for the third time."

Dr: "What were the circumstances which brought your stepfather Les back into your life?"

WW: "I was playing by myself in the backyard of my aunt's home when I heard a car pull up and park in the driveway. I went to see who it was, and saw a Yellow Cab. A man was standing with his back towards me. He was paying the cab driver. I said, 'Hi', then the man turned around and I saw it was Les. He turned to me and smiled, then dropped to his knees and put his arms out for me to come to him to be hugged. He said, 'Hi, Wally. I sure have missed you. Give me a hug?' I was frozen with fear and just stood there. Then I recall he stood up and started walking towards me. I yelled, 'Go away! Go away, Les, Mama's not here. Leave us alone! Go away!' Next, I ran up the back stairs of the house calling, 'Uncle Nash! Uncle Nash! Help me! Help me!' I locked the screen door on the back porch. Looking down I noticed that Les was walking around towards the front on the house. I ran into the living room and looked out the front window. My Uncle Nash was standing outside the door on the front porch and Les was walking up the stairs towards him. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I recall that Les had a lighted cigarette in his hand. All of a sudden my uncle lurched forward towards Les and started hitting him with his fists. I remember Les falling down the stairs. His face was all bloody and he kept trying to hide his face under his arms. My uncle just kept beating him. I had never seen a fight before. I was really horrified. Les never tried hitting back. The last thing I remember is that my uncle shoved him into the back seat of the cab. I watched it drive away."

Dr: "You stated your mother was not there. This must have occurred during the time she was in the hospital?"

WW: "I suppose so. I really can't recall."

Dr: "Evidently your uncle was aware of the sexual abuse Les had subjected you to and, therefore, the fight?"

WW: "I imagine so. However, many years later I was able to put the significance of this incident together. At the time this incident occurred, my aunt and uncle had two children. One was my cousin Allen who then lived with us. The other was a daughter who was older and had moved out to live on her own shortly before my mother and I came to live there. I must have been around thirty years old when I related this memory to her and asked her if she knew what might have caused Nash to beat him. She replied that Les, too, had sexually abused her. Obviously, that was the cause of this."

Dr: "Was your mother made aware of these incidents, the fight, and your cousins sexual abuse?"

WW: "Most likely so. I have no idea. It is most probable that she was told. You see, we never ever spoke about Les or that period of our lives ever again. I was very protective of her. I knew the hurt that she held inside her regarding what had happened to me. There was only one time, many years later that any reference was made regarding this time of our lives.  I must have been in my late twenties at the time. I was living in San Francisco, but had come to visit my mother during my vacation. Stupidly, without thinking of the effect my question might have on her, I asked, 'Mom, what street did we live on when I went to kindergarten in San Francisco?' I recall she put her head down and softly began crying. She looked so embarrassed. Her face was all pink and flushed. She spoke in barely a whisper, 'Oh God, I thought you forgot about all that. I hoped you had forgotten all that.' I was heartbroken for her. She looked so pathetic. I could have killed myself for being so stupid as to have asked. But anyway, I put my arms around her and said, 'Mom, it wasn't your fault. Believe me it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known. No wife could have ever suspected, or even imagined, her husband would be capable of doing such things. You wouldn't have been normal to have ever thought such things could happen. It was never your fault.'

"In retrospect I suppose, in some way, I am glad I had that moment to tell her my true feelings. However, I really wish I had never asked her the street name of where we had lived. It would have been kinder had she believed I had forgotten that time in our lives. Seeing her hurt like that is a sad memory for me. I wish I had never asked."

Dr: "Were you ever able to 'heal' from the brutality which your stepfather subjected you to, both emotionally as well as psychologically?"

WW: "But of course! I worked my way through that by the time I was seventeen. I reasoned that I had three ways to mentally approach this matter. Number one, I could ask: 'How dare that bastard do this to me?' However, I think this would imply that I had an indignant and revengeful attitude towards Les and that I would, therefore, seek retaliation and justice for what he had put me through. This was not, however, my nature. I was not then, nor am I now, either an aggressive or revengeful natured person. My ego was never that strong to take such a self-effacing approach. Secondly, I could ask: 'Why did he do this to me?' But I think this implies, 'did he see something in me that I don't see in myself? Do I have that sickness inside me? Is there something awful about me that attracted him to me?' I think this is the most personally dangerous way of trying to find reason for what happened. Obviously, this attitude could be forever damaging. It is also totally self-centered and I was never that way. My approach was simply: 'This happened to me.' Therefore, I had to accept it and go on with life. The sickness was in the mind of Les. Considering the fact that we lived together, I was an available victim for his abuse. I did not personalize it and therefore I was able to recover from it. Anybody can rape a body, but only you can allow the rape of your mind."

Dr: "Yes, I recall that you mentioned this in similar words once before."

WW: "As you surely know, sexual child abuse is unfortunately not an entirely uncommon thing. I have had several clients who also were subjected to this. One case, which comes to mind, is of a beautiful young girl of seventeen whom her natural father had molested since she was three years old. She came to me for an astrology reading a year or so ago. She brought her mother with her to sit in on the session. Just prior to her visit with me, the girl had confessed to her mother what her father had been doing to her. Her mother had just completed her divorce from the girl's father. She and her daughter were both now living together and in the process of trying to rebuild their shattered lives. The girl was devastatingly ashamed as she related her story of the molestations to me. I then told her about my childhood experiences, what I had undergone, so she would know I could fully understand. At the end of our session she looked at me and said, 'Mr. Welch, I so wanted to be a virgin when I marry.' I replied, 'But you are a virgin, Sweetheart. You haven't made love yet. Anybody can rape your body. That's not making love. Until you give your body to someone you love willingly you have not made love. However can you think you are not a virgin?' I recall the dumbfounded look both she and her mother gave to me. I could just see their minds reeling. Suddenly they both gave me a smile. It was then I knew that what I said had made them take a different mental approach towards this horrible situation, which had forever changed both of their lives. 'The greatest sorrow regarding what has happened to you is that you will never really have a father. His acts have taken that from you. He is obviously a very sick man. We can only hope that he will come to know how misguided his choices were to inflict his perversion on you. This has shattered all three of your lives. I regret that, because of your love for your mother, you felt had to hide what was happening to you for so long a time. You knew that by telling her this it would destroy her marriage and, therefore, you risked the responsibility of destroying her future happiness and security as well. I know full well how hard this has been for you.'

"A few days later I got a lovely 'thank you' note from both of the ladies, which stated how much I had helped them and how they had benefited from our session together. A personal note written by the daughter said it was my saying that, 'You are a virgin until you willingly give your body to someone you love' that really changed her mental attitude and thus created her healing. I'm grateful for that.

Dr: "May I ask: Regarding both your and this client's molestations, do you feel or believe, that both or either of you were subjected to this offense as a matter of preordained destiny?

WW: "Yes and no. Yes, I think it likely that in fact in both of our cases, we had negative karma to work through regarding both her father and my stepfather. According to Edgar Cayce, 'Karma is exact. Whatsoever you do another shall be done unto you.' I cringe to think that either she, or I, could have committed these same acts, in a prior lifetime, to the same two souls who may have retaliated these acts on us in our current life experiences. Sad to say, but it is possible and probable that this may likely be so. No, in that they chose to violate us. They could have walked away and chosen not to. They had that choice. If every man violated a woman whom he desired, what a sad society this would be indeed!"

Dr: "Explain to me what you feel might be the purpose to such retaliation?"

WW: "Simply to learn by example, of course. How does one know how awful an act of violation is unless one experiences it? That violation need not necessarily be rape. It could as well be theft or perjury or slander. For example, when I was in the Third Grade there was this mean little girl in my class who delighted in kicking me in the shin just as hard as she could. She actually would laugh when she saw how much it hurt me. Naturally, I was taught never to hit a girl back, so I would just have to suffer and endure her torture when she caught me off guard. Well, one day my best little friend, Joanie Howell, decided to become my protector. Joan walked up to that mean little girl, looked her in the eye and then kicked her as hard as she could in her shin. 'Now do you see how much it hurts?' she asked. I can promise you from that day forward that mean little girl never ever kicked me again. She learned by example.

"The sadness is, I think, that this senseless retaliation of 'Whatsoever you sow you reap' continues to go on."

Walden in Third Grade

Dr: "The Biblical 'You kill by the sword, you die by the sword' sort of karmic retaliation? Is that what you mean?"

WW: "Yes. If there is one greatly important truth I have learned throughout my spiritual studies is that we did not comprehend the teachings that Christ came into this world to deliver."

Dr: "Meaning?"

WW: "The simple commandments of: 'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you'; 'Love your enemy as you would love yourself'; 'Turn the other cheek'. What He was saying was that we could stop the process of cause and effect, or karma, by learning to love and forgive one another. Before Christ entered the world we were under the laws of the Old Testament: 'Kill by the sword, die by the sword'; 'An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth". Christ entered the world in order to put a stop to that. 'A new commandment I give unto you, love one another even as I have loved you.' What He was saying was that if we would stop the process of retaliation all karma of cause and effect would cease from that point onward and thus we would be free to begin new and better lives. This new attitude on consciousness would begin with 'the washing away of sins', or forgiveness to our enemies. According to the great prophet Edgar Cayce, Christ's exact words were, 'Love one another even as I have loved you and all karma will cease'. I believe that the reason we did not comprehend of this message is because kings, rulers, priests, rabbis and other scholars removed the teachings of reincarnation out of Christ's, and other prophets', teachings. Therefore, the full meaning and significance of Christ's teachings and His true significance became incoherent by the editing of context of His message. I truly believe that the current universal concept towards Christianity has been totally diluted from its original concept and intention. Gina, you have presented this brilliantly in your remarkable, no·brilliantly remarkable, book, 'Insights Into The Age Of Aquarius". It is an extraordinary book. The finest work that I have ever read regarding historical reference and evidence as to how, why and when the teaching of reincarnation were removed from the Bible, both Old and New Testaments."

Dr: "One example being that the Catholic church felt that if they created the concept of one lifetime, and a heaven and a hell consequence as to how we lived that lifetime, man would better himself quicker?"

WW: "Exactly! And, it was also a way of churches to control their parishioners. I was always disgusted by the attitude that, 'It's not for us to know, and that it is a sin to question.' Why, then, did God give me a reasoning and questioning mind?"

Dr: "You made a statement that said, 'I have also learned that "free will" is most likely how we use our mind.' I find this to be an interesting statement and I would like to explore it further. Would you elaborate on this please?"

WW: "Yes, of course. I will try. We have been told that God has given man free will, the conscious choice to do whatsoever man so chooses. Also, that man is a co-creator with God and has the spark of the soul of God within him. Man can create with thought, for as Christ said, 'Thoughts are things.' On the other hand, Angels were created to be the messengers of God, to carry out the will of God. They were not given the gift of free will as man was. Therefore, angels do not have the ability to make choices on their own or deviate from the perfection on the highest ideals of good and righteousness which is the mind and intention of God. So, free will sets man apart from the angels just as man's flesh body also does. Man alone can co-create with God. Say God has a thought and that thought materializes into becoming a lovely rose. Man, on the other hand, can, by thought, himself mischievously think into creation and matter a wicked thorn to add to that rose. In so doing, man naturally lessens the higher perfection of which God had intended. Our free will could, hopefully, be used to co-create equally and compatibly with the higher vibration and perfection, which is of God. Or, say God created the rain to nourish the lands, but man decided to all to the rain a substance called 'fog'? Man's idea being to cause danger to those who became trapped in it.

"As an Astrologer I have had to question: 'What is Free Will'? How much choice does man really have? Why is it that if I can read a client's Chart and predict that, say they will divorce at a certain time, and that comes to be? Or, they will become a famous singer, and that happens? Or, they will loose their job on a certain transit, and this comes to pass? Well, if man has 'free will', then why is it I can predict what will happen to them so accurately? Certainly, in that these situations are foreseeable to me, implies that these events were already predestined to happen from the very day of their birth and I, as the Astrologer or clairvoyant, simply have the ability to tell them what will happen to them and when. Obviously, those things have been pre-ordained? If not so, than how could I foresee them?"

Dr: "Rather like your grandmother's story of being a marionette controlled by the strings held in God's hand?"

WW: "In a way, yes. But I am not saying that 'all' situations in our lives are predestined. Just certain highlights, or situations, which are necessary to our individual learning, or personal karma.

"My training and belief regarding astrology and one's individual horoscope is that it is a map of the sum-total of one's entire past life experiences. One's Chart is a collective souls map of all one has accomplished, and failed to accomplish, throughout one's past lives sojourns. Say I am reading the horoscope for a man who is a Virgo with Moon in Virgo and Mars in Scorpio. What this man's horoscope is telling me is that in the majority of his past life experiences he has been a healer and, therefore, he was born in this lifetime with this past collective knowledge on healing. In one past lifetime he may have been a doctor. In another lifetime a pharmacist, in another a nurse. Before that? Perhaps a surgeon. In this, his current life experience, being a double Virgo suggests to me that he has reincarnated and wants to continue growing in his knowledge of medicine and healing. Perhaps in this experience, in that he is Mercury Ruled·this means of the mind, I might likely suggest to him that he study psychiatry or psychology. In this manner he could add on to his accumulated knowledge of medicine and in this experience learn the effect the mind influences disease. This would be another step for him to perfect his ongoing learning. In that he has already been a surgeon, pharmacist and nurse, he is advancing towards an accumulated knowledge of perfecting his ideal. If, however, this man had been born with his Moon in Capricorn, I would suggest that he study chiropractic medicine, for Capricorn Rules the skeleton of the body and bones, you see? Had his Moon fallen in Pisces I would suggest Podiatry, for Pisces Rules the feet. Get the general idea?"

Dr: "I find this extraordinarily fascinating. You make astrology seem so much more involved than any novice could possibly comprehend. This is indeed insightful."

WW: "My everyday work life consists of making predictions for clients, as well as receiving feedback from predictions I have made in the past. I cannot, at times, help but be overwhelmed by the accuracy reported as to the outcome of past predictions. This has, of course, led me to the realization that each of us has a preplanned destiny pattern or, as my grandmother had said, 'We are all just marionettes pulled by the strings held in God's hand'.  So I have had to ask myself, 'What is free will?' I am led to believe that 'free will' is how we choose mentally to accept the circumstances we must face in life. For instance, I have two clients in mind. Both happen to be paraplegics. Their paralyses was caused by auto accidents. In both cases their spouses were driving the vehicle from which they suffered their misfortune. Neither spouse was, however, seriously injured. Client #1, a lady from Sacramento, has blamed, tortured and tormented her husband for the past twelve years. Her anger towards him is relentless. He is at her beck and call every moment. His humiliation has led him to two suicide attempts. The truth is, that at the time of their accident, both were returning home from a party. He opted to drive because his wife was too drunk. She was having an argument with him and struck him in the face. It was that 'slap' which caused him to swerve off the road and into a tree thus causing her injury. The lady refuses to accept any blame. Needless to say, she is in physical anguish and as a result has turned to both alcohol and barbiturates as her escape. One cannot help but be in total sympathy for her physical situation, yet she is rude to everyone, totally self indulgent, self-focused and more than difficult to endure. She is not only living a hell on earth, but is also creating one for her husband and family members. In truth she loves playing this martyr role, but refuses to recognize the fact.

"Client #2, on the other hand, was a drug dealer. At the time of his accident his wife was driving him to make a delivery to one of his clients. It was raining and their car slid off the road into a ravine. Tragically, my client was left in total paralysis. The only bodily movement he is capable of performing is the movement of three fingers on his left hand. His wife recovered from the accident with only minor injuries. In the months to come both he and his wife entered a drug rehabilitation center. Following that, my client entered a computer training school and graduated with flying colors. Today he is employed by The State of California. Ironically, he designs wheel chair ramps for city and county buildings. He also teaches computer classes and trouble-shoots for numerous clients. When I told him how sorry I was that he had been subjected to such tragic physical handicaps, he replied, 'I had no direction or purpose to my life prior to my accident. I was lost and leading everyone else I knew down my wrong pathway. I didn't care if I lived or died. Don't misunderstand me; I regret to have lost the use of my body. In truth, however, I think I had to do so in order to find myself. It has been quite a struggle. However, I like who I have become. I like being useful and needed. Strange as it may sound, I'm happier today than I have ever been in my lifetime. I guess I had to lose my body to gain my mind.'"

Dr: "So, if life gives you a lemon·make lemonade?"

WW: "Yes. That was his choice, just as bitterness and revenge was the choice of client #1. I think, indeed, that 'free will' is how we mentally choose to accept whatever circumstances life has handed us."

Dr: "I am more than fascinated by the metaphysical philosophy which is the basis, or foundation, of your astrological work. I had no idea there was so much esoteric knowledge behind the practice of astrology. I thought it to be more the accumulated study of collected information as to how the planets influence our lives coupled with the mathematics of astronomy."

WW: "For me it is both. Not all astrologers work as I do, nor do all of them share my philosophy. I have known several who take a far more scientific approach than I. I know others who have no particular spiritual beliefs at all. Many do not believe in reincarnation as I do. I suppose the philosophy of the astrologer is of no particular importance to the client so long as the astrologer is good at his craft and satisfies the clients needs. What I have shared with you is simply my philosophy, how I work, what I believe, and my personal philosophy behind my work. I don't share this information with my clients unless I am asked to. I think each of us is searching for the meaning and purpose of life. This is the philosophy, which satisfies me. I find comfort and belief and reason in it. Therefore, it is right for me, but certainly may not be right for someone else. I believe that all roads lead to the same God, meaning that all religious choice takes us in the same pursuit. Some of us just take a different pathway, that's all. My pathway has brought me comfort and understanding. More importantly, it has made me a kinder and more loving person. So long as any person's religious beliefs brings this about, I think they are on the right pathway for their selves. In that we must all share the same planet, it is my belief that if our spiritual search has led us to become kinder and more loving persons, we are on the right path be we Christian, Jews or otherwise. I live: 'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you'. I can't think of any saying more important than this one, and it's so simple to practice."

Dr: "I know you are aware of the fact that I am a great cat lover - probably because I am as curious as one. I have been pondering the meaning of the poem the fortuneteller gave to your mother. 'A blessed Magi to comfort thee' refers to you, doesn't it?"

WW: "(laughs) Very good, Gina! Yes, I think the fortuneteller was predicting that I would be born to my mother. It's certainly embarrassing to be referred to as  'blessed', however. The name Magi means astrologer. Most people think of Magi as reference to The Three Wise men who predicted the birth of Christ. However, most people are unaware that The Three Wise Men were astrologers. They predicted the birth of Christ through horoscopes. Scientists are aware, of course, that there was never in actuality a Star of Bethlehem, but they are aware of the fact that two thousand years ago there was a great conjunction of four planets which created the great light people, then, thought was a one singular star."  

Dr: "Yes, I am aware of this. I am amazed at how few people are.

"Now I would like to get back to the intriguing poem, riddle, or whatever it is the gypsy fortuneteller wrote. It fascinates me. The beginning seems to speak for itself; 'You shall never know wealth, nor have good health.'"

WW: "Yes. Undergoing three heart surgeries and two bouts with rheumatic fever as well as several other medical problems, Mom never knew good health. Also, due to the fact that she was born ill and never expected to live beyond the age of eighteen, she was unable to acquire any form of health insurance at all. Naturally, medical bills kept us in perpetual financial straights. I suppose we were poor. However, I never felt that we were. We seemed middle class."

Dr: "Other than a line or two, I cannot yet comprehend the full meaning of this riddle."

WW: "Then let us go back to where we left off during the years of 1948-49 when Mom and I were living with relatives in Stockton. I mentioned, but did not elaborate on the fact, that she married for the third time. It was during this cycle. I have no remembrances as to how she met Guy Foss. It must have been just a short while after she recovered from her hospitalization.  I was told, many years later, by my aunt Lorraine that Mom married this man out of necessity. According to what my aunt said, when Mom was in the hospital after our arrival in Stockton, she was told she would not have a chance to live unless she underwent open-heart surgery. In truth, there wasn't much of a chance that she would live even with it. Evidently we were totally broke and living off the kindness of Mom's family. Mom was by nature very independent and resented being a financial burden to anyone. Somehow during this period she met Mr. Foss. He asked her to marry him. Mom was very, very pretty to say the least, so I assume Guy was very taken with her. From what my aunt Lorraine told me, my mother was honest and upfront with Guy. She told him that she was not in love with him, but would be a good and faithful wife and grow to love him in time. She was at a desperate point in her life; heart surgery was needed, along with the money to pay for it, plus both her and my financial support. It was a horrible time for her.

Dr: "No doubt. Yes, that's clear."

WW: "So, they married with this agreement. Now, this brings us to this part of the Gypsy's riddle, 'White feathers, white feathers everywhere. Tears and sorrow for you, beware! For the time has come for your greatest despair.'

"It was sometime during 1949 that Mom married Guy. I no longer remember what season it was. We moved to his home on South Olive Street in the eastern region of Stockton. This area was a lower class farming community and a very disappointing change from the beautiful surroundings of Aunt Marion's neighborhood on West Rose St. where we had been living. Guy had built his home himself and was boastfully proud of the fact. One would wonder why. It was just a simple two-bedroom basalt brick square building with a curious diamond shaped front living room window. It did have a lovely front lawn complete with rose gardens. That was the best feature. Behind the house was a couple of acres of walnut trees, artichoke plants and two large chicken houses which contained 5,000 white feathered laying chickens. Thus, the Gypsy's' riddle unfolds, 'White feathers everywhere.' Mom had told me that the Gypsy fortuneteller had told her that this was to be the hardest period of her lifetime to live through. It was shortly after our move to this house on South Olive Street that Mom realized she was living a segment of the Gypsy's' prophecy."

Dr: "What sort of man was Mr. Foss?"

WW: "He was a more than difficult man. He was arrogant, bossy and opinionated as to everything. He worked as an engineer for The Western Pacific Railroad Co. The best part of our relationship with him was that he traveled the majority of his working time so we rarely had to see him. Sometimes he would be gone full three or four days at a time. Mom and I both favored these times! In retrospect, I believe the there may have been a selfish scheme on his own part in asking my mother to marry him."

Dr: "In what way?"

WW: "First he would acquire a beautiful young wife. Secondly he would acquire a stepson to tend to the farming during all his absences. There was a method to his madness. He would never have been able to handle the farm had I not been there. I became his slave."

Dr: "Slave?"

WW: "Yes, I literally became this man's slave. As I said, Guy traveled on his job. He was rarely at home. Therefore, I ran the farm almost entirely on my own. Not only was I responsible for the feeding of 5,000 chickens, I also had to clean, package and market the eggs. Then, too, was the picking and processing of the walnuts and artichokes. The running and care of a farm is not an easy task for a man of any age let alone a boy of six. The part I hated the most was hoeing weeds! Lord how I hated that! (Laugh) Within one and a half years after their marriage, Mom had to undergo open heart surgery. After that she suffered her second bout of rheumatic fever and was confined to bed for five years. No, let me correct that. She was unable to get out of bed for five years and three months: 'The worst you shall see will come five plus three.' She was totally bedridden from 1951 to 1956, so along with my everyday farming chores also came the duties of nursing, feeding and caring for her. I told you this was a CinderFella story, Gina!"

Dr: "But how in the world could one child possibly accomplish all this work alone? You were just a small child at this time."

WW: "Where there is a will, there is a way. What choice did I have? Besides, I couldn't have known the difference anyway. I was very young and had no other lifestyle to compare it to. After Mom contacted rheumatic fever, my school days were cut to only three hours a day. I finished First Grade at Montezuma Elementary School going full schedule. After that, until the Sixth Grade I only attended three hours daily. But don't forget, Guy was there to help a couple or more days a week."

Dr: "Yet you said that both you and your mother were happiest when he was away?"

WW: "You bet! You can underline that!"

Dr: "But please explain why? Wasn't it easier to have his help with all that work?"

WW: "It wasn't worth what we were put through to have his help, Gina. Guy was a mentally, physically and verbally cruel man. I don't think he knew how to be otherwise. He thought all men were supposed to behave like he did. I don't think he thought of himself as cruel at all. He was from Little Rock, Arkansas and bragged that he had come from a very important southern family. His arrogance was disgusting. He was a smug and insensitive man. He loved to humiliate and degrade people. He had a Klu Klux Klan mentality, which really upset both Mom and I. I never really felt hatred or pity for him. He simply repulsed me and so I tried to keep out of his way and sight as best I could. To worsen matters, Guy loved to slap and hit. It seemed that every order he gave came with a swat or push. When he was really upset he would use his belt on me. Funny thing was he never had a reason to. My problem was always that I was too good a kid. I never got in trouble or talked back. I was so afraid that I would upset Mom if I did so I always tried to be on my very best of behavior. Maybe that's why Guy slapped me around so much? Perhaps he thought of me as passive, weak and, thus, effeminate? Who knows? I can't recall his birth date. It never mattered to me. I just endured him so that Mom and I could survive. I wish I had his Chart. Then I would know what made him tick. He was a socially ignorant and non-intellectual man. He was attractive in appearance, big and heavyset. Despite his 'I'm superior to everybody' attitude, he was cheap. Everything to him was about money, a penny pincher of the worst kind.  When Mom and I moved in with him, he only had a few chickens and that made it easy for him to handle considering his away from home work. Within a year of our moving in with him, he had 5,000 chickens. He knew I would be there to take care of him. There was a method to his madness. Yet all he ever did was complain about not having enough money."

Dr. "Were you, in fact, poor?"

WW: "I don't really think so. How could we have been considering he had a good job, plus the profits from the eggs, chickens, walnuts, etc? I really don't know. Perhaps he was in debt? I was young and had no understanding of money issues. I recall that Mom got terribly upset over the fact that, on top of everything else I had to do, he forced me to take an early morning job as a paper delivery boy. He said he wanted me to become responsible and learn to pay my way in life. He took my entire monthly check from me to 'cover my room and board'. He was incredible!"

Dr: "I dare say. You must have hated him."

WW: "No, not really. I have never really hated anyone. Hatred has never been an element of my nature. I think it would be fair to say that I loathed him or that I detested his arrogance and ignorance. I know for a fact he repulsed both Mom and me, but we were in a position in life that we had to endure what we had to endure in order to survive. I was, even then, very perceptive into the psychological differences in peoples natures. I knew I would endure him best if I let him play the attack dog and I play the cowardly submissive one. You know? We have all seen how one male dog has to intimidate and over-power another one otherwise two aggressive dogs will fight till the kill. To survive Guy I knew I would be wiser to cower to his attacks."

Dr: "Oh, yes. I well know the truth that can come in that wisdom. What were some of the better moments you had during this period of your life?"

WW: "The best part of our eight years in Stockton were the friendships Mom and I made. Actually, there were only three, but they were friendships of the truest and most valuable kind."

Dr: "Tell me about them."

WW: "First, there was Joan Howell. She was my first in life best friend. Joanie was born June 1, 1942. We both went to school together and were in the same class. She lived just three houses down the street from us with her parents and brother. Joanie was absolutely beautiful to look at; blond hair, blue eyes, petite body. She had such beautiful skin and her face was more than lovely. We adored each other and visited each other every moment of free time that we had. We were almost inseparable. She would come and help me with my chores whenever Guy wasn't around."

Dr: "She would come and help me with my chores whenever Guy wasn't around?" Meaning that she didn't like him either."

WW: "Yes. She loathed him. Honestly, everybody did. He was a crude and ugly natured man.

"Directly across the street from our home lived Ken and Sue Martin. They were two of the loveliest and kindest people both Mom and I could have ever hoped to know. Sue and Ken were very protective of the two of us."

Dr: "Protective? Why protective?"

WW: "They were well aware of the constant verbal abuse Guy put us through. They were aware of the fact that he physically abused me a lot."

Dr: "Did he physically abuse your mother too?"

WW: "I'm sure that he did, although I only saw him attempt to slap her about three times. She would have hidden the fact from me. She tried to hide the bad things from me. Funny thing is, I tried to hide the bad things from her, too. Don't forget that I was often outside working. I rarely saw them alone together. However, I could hear him yelling at her and demeaning her a lot. That was constant!"

Dr: "Did your friends The Martins come to your rescue?"

WW: "No, not in the way I think you mean. They didn't face him and intervene for our sake. They were emotionally supportive to us. They promised us that when Mom got well they would help us get away from him. They never visited us when Guy was home. They detested him, even long before we arrived. Guy had been married once before. His ex-wife, daughter and son had lived with him at the same house we now lived in. Jewell, Guy's ex-wife, had won custody of the children and they moved to Rio Vista, California, a town not far from Sacramento. I don't know what circumstances occurred between Guy and The Martins, but they had literally no respect for him at all and he was well aware of it. I really doubt that we would have survived those years without their friendship. Sue was about twelve years older than Ken. She must have been in her late 30's during this time. Their age difference made their relationship very controversial in those days."

Dr: "Yes, it certainly was for those times."

WW: "Sue had a bird breeding business which she operated from her home. She bred parakeets, parrots and cockatiels. Ken was in the Navy and was stationed at Treasure Island. He commuted to and from San Francisco every day. They were especially wonderful to me. They would take me to the drive-in movies once a week. They always took me along with them on short trips. They didn't have children of their own, so I was always treated as if I were part of their family. I think Ken became my wished-for father figure. He called me 'Zeke' as a pet name. I loved it! I loved him so much. I loved them both. I have never forgotten them and never will. Because of them, and Joanie, our years in Stockton were definitely not worthless.

"I suppose I should put aside all these personal remembrances and move on to psychic matters? After all that's what you're interviewing me for."

Dr: "No. Please continue. Your physical background is as important to this research as are your psychic happenings."

WW: 'Very well. Then before I get into the psychic events, I would like to share with you the first time I ever met my real father. This happened on Easter Sunday of 1950. I was seven years old then."

Dr: "This was your very first meeting with him? Surely he must have made telephone contact? Sent birthday cards, gifts, that sort of thing?"

WW; "No, not at all. I had never heard anything from him until this event. I don't think I even wondered about him before. The love Mom and I shared between us was fulfilling enough for me. Besides, Les and Guy were all I knew of father figures and that speaks for itself! Other than Ken I just didn't think of men as loving. I knew that my real father was an alcoholic and most likely assumed he was no better than my previous two stepfathers."

Dr: "How did this meeting with you father come about?"

WW: "A couple of days before Easter Sunday, Mom told me we were going to my grandparents home in Tracy to be with the family and that my father was going to be there, too. She said he wanted very much to meet me. By coincidence, his mother had just died and he would be attending her funeral service in Tracy Easter Sunday morning. He had driven up from Bakersfield, which she said was a long ways away."

Dr: "Had you ever known your paternal grandmother?"

WW: "No, I have no memory of her, but Mom said she knew me as a baby. My parents divorced when I was one year old and she never saw me after that.

"After she told me that he and I were going to meet I became very curious and anxious about him. The realization that I had a real father had somehow never consciously entered my mind. My anxieties in meeting him became total anguish. I really suffered those first two days before we finally met."

Dr: "Why so?"

WW: "Because I was terribly shy. Outside of Mom and our three friends and a few family members, I had a terrible shyness in talking. I was very timid. I would hide behind doors if company came. It was painful for me to gather the courage to meet strange people. I would always be very polite, but would only answer their questions. I kind of hid behind Mom's skirts at social occasions, so I panicked about meeting my father. What would I say? This was probably the most important meeting of my life, so I asked Mom all kinds of questions about him in preparation. I was aware that she had divorced him due to his alcoholism and I recall saying to her, 'My father must be an awful man. He was a drunk and he hurt you.' Mom replied: 'No. I hurt myself. I should have tried harder to be patient and had more faith in him that he would recover from his disease. Alcoholism is a disease, you see? It is a disease that even happens to very good people. Wally, your father was the nicest and most wonderful man I have ever known. He is all well now and has fully recovered from his illness. I pray that you will turn out to be as wonderful as he is. I know that you will for you are so very much alike. If you can be just, even one-half, as wonderful as your father you will be the luckiest boy in the world.'

"I knew then that she was still in love with him. I knew, too, that she was as nervous to see him as I was. The morning we were getting ready to leave for our trip I must have combed my hair twenty times. My hands would shake so bad I would drop my comb. I noticed Mom was doing the same thing. She just kept combing her hair over and over and checking her make-up. Guy had to work, so fortunately he wasn't going with us. I recall I polished my shoes three times and sat on my hands in the car so that I would not wrinkle my new gray flannel trousers. (Laugh) Mom kept asking me if her hair and lipstick looked all right. It was so obvious to me that she was still in love with my real father. I was so afraid that I might ruin things for her."

Dr: "In what way? How could you?"

WW: "I was afraid that he might be disappointed in me. Maybe because of my shyness? Maybe because of my looks? Perhaps I would say the wrong thing? Remember, I told you I had very low self-esteem. I will never forget that day!"

Dr: "How did it turn out?"

WW; "Well·everybody in the family was there. Mom had eight brothers and sisters in all plus their families, so it was a very large group of relatives attending. The adults all congregated in the dining room and we kids in the living room. I mingled in the background amongst my many cousins. I would constantly peek out the window watching for my father's arrival. By the time he did finally arrive, I was so nervous I could hardly breath. I saw a car driving down the road and detected there was just one person inside. Knowing that had to be him I ran into the dining room to find my mother. There were so many people grouped together that I was unable to see her. Mom was under five feet tall so naturally difficult to find amongst so many. Seeing my aunt Lorraine, I told her to please answer the door because my father was there. She followed me into the living room and I hid against the wall behind my cousins while Lorraine answered the door. And then, there he was! I was amazed. I thought he was the handsomest man I had ever seen. He was tall and trim but strongly built. He had a remarkably handsome face and baby blue eyes. His eyes were incredible and they fascinated me, probably because mom's and mine were brown. He seemed so incredibly tall to me, but in truth he was only six feet."

Dr: "Forgive me for interrupting, but is this: "A tall man at your door, he will love three, through eternity?"

WW: (Laugh) "Nice try, Gina, but no. That refers to the first time my mother saw him, not me. She told me that in 1938, while she was still living with her parents, her father told her that a man would be coming over to apply for a job on the farm. Grandpa wouldn't, however, would be late in keeping the appointment because he had eggs to deliver, so he asked Mom if she would tell the man to wait until he returned. Mom was washing the breakfast dishes when she heard a knock at the kitchen door.  After drying her hands, she opened it. Mom said the moment she saw tall man standing there, 'I knew that this was the man I would marry. Shivers ran through me and I could hardly speak.'

"You are amazingly good at deciphering riddles, Gina."

Dr: "This one fascinates me, truly it does. Now please continue with the first meeting with you father."

WW: "When my aunt Lorraine answered the door and saw my dad, she got very excited and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. Then she called out, 'Hey Julia, everybody, Bud's here!' My dad's real name was Arthur Ernest Welch, but he went by the nickname of Bud. Next Lorraine walked him into the dining room and everybody seemed very happy to see him. My grandmother and aunts all hugged him and the men all shook his hand. Dad seemed nervous and kind of shy like me. Then, after everyone had greeted him, I watched Mama walk slowly toward him. She had been hidden behind everybody else. She had a red blush on her face and her eyes were tearing. I had never ever seen her look this way. My dad put his arms around her and hugged her for what seemed like a long while. His eyes were all teary up too. Then he took a hankie out of his jacket pocket and wiped his eyes and nose. Then she took his hanky and dabbed her eyes. They both seemed kind of embarrassed and they laughed. The next thing I saw was Mom putting her hand into his and begin leading him into the living room. I knew she was bringing him in to meet me. I was standing against the back wall hiding behind my cousins. I just stood there kind of scared and frozen as I watched Mom looking for me. Mom had told me to just act natural and be myself, but I wasn't sure if I should hug him, kiss him on the cheek or whatever. I just stood there trying not to show my fright. My stomach was all queasy. Walking up to me smiling, Mom said, 'Hi, Sweetie, this is your father.' Bud put his hand in mine and shook it. I had never shaken hands with anyone before. His hands seemed enormous to me. They were very leathery. He was a carpenter and they were weathered from hard work. He had very long and beautiful fingers. His hand was so big it seemed it covered my whole lower arm. (Laugh) Then he knelt down on his knees to be as close to eye level to me as he could and said, 'Let me take a look at you.' I just stood there speechless and tried to smile, but my face quivered and that made me all the more nervous. I recall looking at his face and thinking him to be so very handsome and hoping I might turn out to look like him."

Dr: "And did you?"

WW: "No. I favored my mother. We were both dark brown eyed with olive complexion with black hair. Dad was light browned haired, tan, but much fairer skinned than us plus he had those incredibly beautiful blue eyes.

"Next, he looked up at Mom and said, 'He's a very handsome boy. He takes after you.' Needless to say, I was thrilled by his remark, but I didn't show it. Then he looked back at me and asked, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' His question caught me totally off guard so I suddenly blurted out, 'A scientist', which of course was a lie."

Dr: "Why did you lie?"

WW: "Because I thought he would like that. Actually, Joanie and I wanted to be famous movie stars. We had played Indian dolls in our schools Christmas play 'Santa's Toy Factory' just a few months before. I was afraid that if I told him I wanted to be an actor, he might think I was a sissy. I thought wanting to be a scientist would impress him favorably. It did because he looked up at my mother and laughed and said, 'Our boy has high ambitions.' Next he reached into his jacket pocket and handed me a small cluster of violets, which were tied into a little bouquet with a ribbon. He said he wanted me to keep them as a keepsake because they were taken off his mothers casket from the funeral he had just attended that morning. Then he said he would have to leave very shortly so would say 'goodbye' now. I didn't know what to do, so I reached out to put my arms around his neck to hug him 'goodbye', but before I could reach him he grabbed my hand again and shook it. His stopping my gesture had made the moment so awkward. I was hurtfully embarrassed that he had stopped me. Then he said, 'You be a good boy and take good care of Julia". That's all he said to me. I was so hurt I wanted to cry. I watched him as he said 'Goodbye' to everyone then he and Mom went outside together. I watched them from the window. They talked for a while, then he hugged her for a long time. Then I saw him kiss her. They both seemed very upset and he handed Mom his handkerchief and drove away. Mom just stood there watching his car drive down the road. I knew she was upset and crying, so I went outside to be with her. She smiled when she saw me and tried to pretend everything was o.k. I couldn't hold my hurt feelings back anymore so I hugged her around the waist and cried. That upset her so she continued crying too. She asked me what was wrong and I said, 'He didn't pay any attention to me. I did everything wrong. He didn't even kiss me.' I was totally heartbroken. We sat down on the porch together and talked. I put my head in her lap while she ran her hands through my hair trying to comfort me. She kept asking me what was wrong, but the more she asked the more I cried. She said, 'Bud is really shy, just like you are. He told me he thought you were the handsomest and cutest boy he had ever seen and said he couldn't go in to say "goodbye" to you again because he would cry. Honey, he loves you so much. He told me he wanted so badly to hug and kiss you, but he was afraid you wouldn't want him to. He even cried when he drove away because it hurt him to leave you. This meeting was so hard for him. Please understand.'"

Dr: "Did this comfort you?"

WW: "Oh, yes, very much so. Then I asked her why she was crying? She said it was because she was so happy to see him again. Then I asked, 'You still love him, don't you, Mama?' She started crying harder and said, 'Yes, I do. I always have. He's a wonderful man, but I just couldn't make him get well.' It was such a difficult meeting for both of us. We cried off and on all the long drive home."

Dr: "Then you shall once again see, the tall man that has loved you for eternity?"

WW: "(Laugh) "No, not yet, Gina. That part of the riddle unfolds later.

End of Part Two

Next:  Part Three, The Promise

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