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Inspiring Stories
Sarah's Story Hope shines on MS
Sarah McKechnie attended The Gawler Foundation in 2009. She wrote this story to share her impressions of the 5 day MS program, run by George Jelinek.
One of the gifts of being human is memory. Memories can take you back to a wonderful experience, allowing you to draw the best elements back into the present. Whenever I am in the midst of my busy day, in my city life, I can access the memory of my time at The Gawler Foundation. Like a fisherman I draw may beautiful images from the ocean of my psyche and embrace feelings that support me in slowing down a little and not going at my life so hard.
There was nothing at the Foundation that was hard or rushed – nothing was done or said that was fuelled by fear. And though our time there was structured and focused, it was never rigid or restrictive. So now, at any time, I can remember, and lay the blueprint of the Gawler-structure over my own routine, re-aligning myself with a more balanced approach.
Often I have dreamed of a peaceful world where we support one another unconditionally, but the dream often overwhelms me, leaving me wondering “How do I begin? It’s too late and I am too small to make a difference.” Thankfully Ian Gawler didn’t let such defeatist thoughts hinder his dream, and we now have his little “peace” of heaven on earth to experience.
Heaven on earth is not just a poetic way of describing the Gawler retreat, it is the truth. To me, heaven is the earth, but it’s an earth where people live together holistically –supporting the individual’s right to health and harmony, whether it be within themselves, with other people, with nature or with the “beyond”. My time at the retreat linked me back into my original dream, giving me a taste of the holistic life I have yearned to live.
And indeed it is something “holistic” that is at the heart of the Gawler program. From the moment you arrive at the gorgeous property, nestled in the Victorian countryside, you feel embraced by an energy of wholeness; of innate goodness. It ripples through everything - from the genuine, heartfelt welcome of the staff, to the rich and deeply affecting content of the meditation and information sessions. It flows from the sounds of birdsong and gentle breeze, to the nourishing, stunningly presented food, prepared with such care that you feel almost too humbled to eat it. As our days and nights passed, the change in people’s faces was probably one of the most touching experiences of my life. I realized that we had all become more child-like. For just as children are more trusting, so were we; just as children are more sensitive to nature and their surrounds, so had we become; and just as children have hope, so were our hearts now filled with a very real hope for our very healthy future.
Hope shines a special glow and everyone had that glow – rosy and real.