Regret swept over me. I should have known better than to stick my nose into the child’s business. He needed the help of professionals, not do-gooders like me. “You’re teaching him how to breathe?”
“The conscious control of breathing helps bring to the surface unfinished traumatic issues that need addressing. Joshua’s inability or unwillingness to speak is a crisis of personal transformation. We need to support his silence and recognize it as a form of self-healing, rather than treat it as an illness.”
“So, you use breathing as a form of meditation?”
“Transformational breathing facilitates the natural healing process. It also leads to the experience of liberation on many levels.”
Natural healing and liberation. Right up my alley. Anyway, I couldn’t back down now. “So, you’re coming, too?”
“I will need to clear my calendar first.”
This time, I sighed. The responsibility of taking Joshua on such a tour on my own would have been a huge one. Now, I wouldn’t have to face it alone.
“For some reason, Joshua has chosen you as his special guide,” Dr. Mendez said, “and your ring as his instrument of power. With the support of people who care about him, the tour could offer a safe place for him to look deeply into his process and find what he’s lacking. I will pick Joshua up at the group home and meet you at the Inn around eight Saturday morning.”
“Okay,” I said. “And I’ll drive us from there.”
Phone still in hand, I made another call, to the genealogist Ben had directed me to. Her name was Heather Garcia, but I didn’t make the connection until I heard her voice.
“Carmel Valley Inn, Heather speaking.”
“Heather? This is Marjorie.”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Ben Mendoza gave me your number. He said you studied genealogy.”
“Genealogy is, like, my hobby,” was her upbeat reply.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure. Meet me in the dining room in ten minutes.”
Between Will and Surrender Page 14