Dear Friends,
Thirty years ago I sent a letter to 100 Friends to say I was providing massage to people with AIDS and needed financial support for the work. Half of those people said – Yes! I had already been working with several women rape survivors and AIDS was a new work. I was in Boulder, CO and had been out of massage school 3 months. So, what would it look like to work with those who maybe cou
don’t pay and live mainly on gifts?
Then some invitations came to teach across country. So, it would be a traveling work living mainly on gifts. Over time invitations would bring me to teach healing sexual abuse, massage for people with AIDS, teaching crisis workers to avoid burnout and make compassion pragmatic, teaching massage to convicted rapists/murderers, working with tortured refugees, and advocating bodywork for trauma survivors, among other things. A spiritual gift to release pain following trauma has many uses.
I am older, shorter, and rounder now. Thirty years is a long time, especially at this level of intensity. But some things still hold true. I still live mainly on gifts. I still have a traveling work mostly by invitation. And my focus has been healing trauma in all possible forms all this time. It’s been a life’s work. And it’s been a wonderful ride!
My book, “The Dance Between Hope & Fear”, came out last June. The reviews have been sterling. Three decades of journals, letters, speeches, etc. made readable by my most fabulous editor, Shelly Angel of Texas. We’ve begun work on a second book. The 1st is available from both Quakerbooks.org and Amazon. I hope you will enjoy my book.
A few milestones this year along with 30 years of The Beethoven Letter- Marshall and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, and The Quaker Initiative to End Torture – QUIT! is nine years old (see the great new website – http://www.quit-torture-now.org/quit/home/. And I’m replacing my 8 year old SAAB. So your support is especially welcomed.
I have great delight that my teaching has become more heartfelt over time. My workshops fill up faster and always at least a third are returning attendees. My gifts in the work have more polish and my book offers companionship and guidance. This is the joy of lots of work going well over many years.
So many have helped me to continue all these years. Will you help me now please? I am extremely grateful that my life is this particular story and that you are part of it. Please send a gift and please check my calendar and come see me as I travel and work this year. Our time is finite and it would be good to see you.
In the Light,
John Calvi
April 2014