“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give what I have received; and to share what I have been given.”
My yoga teacher, ‘Kala,’ ends every class with this beautiful saying.
In Sanskrit, her name means ‘fine arts,’ in Hindu, it means ‘God of time.’
One morning, after nearly a year of practicing with her at her makeshift studio at a local YMCA, I realized that her parting words were a gift to us, meant to seed our day with the practice of giving and receiving — the innate beauty of sharing our unique presence, attributes and knowledge with others, and to listen and allow others to share themselves with us — the receipt. Allowing these words to seep in more deeply, it dawned on me that giving and receiving is the same act; just different actions or actors separated only by a thing called ‘time’.
Last month, I received a note from a veteran in North Carolina. He had just finished reading my first novel, Beyond The Wall: The Journey Home. It had been recommended to him by a nurse at his VA hospital.
His note read:
“I read your book, Beyond The Wall. I’m not sure if you will ever know exactly how close you really got. Painfully close. But I’m glad someone did. Thank You.”
Later that day, he sent another note. This time, a question:
“I would like to ask you a question, respectfully, and I hope you don’t mind if I speak frankly ma’am. Why do you care?”
Several years ago, in response to a request to write a blog post for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, I wrote an essay called ‘All About Time.’
You can read it here.
https://vvmf.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/all-about-time/
Lately, there has been a resurgence of interest in my book. On one hand, it’s wonderful. On the other, it is a reminder that many people are in pain – or know someone in pain. It is my deepest wish that this book may help their hearts, bodies and minds heal.
Perhaps now is the time.
If you know a veteran — or a loved one — who has experienced trauma, whether it be from combat, a tragedy, or a loss, please gift them a copy of Beyond The Wall, and let’s set our intention that it may help them transform pain into healing.
There is a wonderful way you can gift these books and that is via the Beyond The Wall Special Edition Gift-Giving & Advertising Program.
What are the benefits of this program?
- It helps Beyond The Wall reach the people for whom it was written.
- It provides a unique opportunity inside the book for sponsors to share their message of support and gratitude.
- It supports my work as an author and documentary filmmaker, as I use the royalties from sales of this book to provide seed funds for additional works like Power of One: Preventing Suicide in America.
Participating in this program is easy. I’ve attached the brief program overview for your review: BeyondTheWall.SpecialEditionProgram.2015
You may order a Special Edition Print Run of 25, 50 or 100 books — or an individual book by emailing me at alivia@powerofonemovie.com.
Please include your personalized message when ordering a Special Edition Print Run, and your photo or logo that you would like included on your customized bookplate.
Here are a few examples:
Thank you for reading and gifting Beyond The Wall: The Journey Home, and sharing your message of hope and healing,
Power of One 