Published in the Branson Tri Lakes New June 18th, 2011
To most, Abby Lewis’ life probably looks picture perfect these days. Seven months ago, Lewis, a local massage therapist, and her husband, Tim, welcomed their first child, Shia Nathaniel. The new mother owns her own business, Healing Naturally, which she runs out of her home, and she has a lot of time to relax and be with her family.
Life wasn’t always so great, though. Nine years ago, the College of the Ozarks graduate thought she was losing her mind. Her marriage was falling apart and her problems piled up. An experience on her deck in 2002 turned her life around and today, she shares her story with others through her recently released book, “Blossoming out of the Valley.” “I remember the day that I thought I was losing my mind,” the introduction of Lewis’ book reads. “I was convinced I was going to have to check myself into a psychiatric hospital. I needed to get away from the noise in my head; I need to find peace. Feeling lost and hopeless, and frantic to escape it all, I went outside to sit on my back deck. Though I didn’t realize it then, this was the moment of desperation that would lead to my freedom. God was about to uniquely pursue me, and I would be forever changed.” She called out to God and soon found herself enthralled with a ladybug, noticing every detail about the tiny creature. It was then she felt calmness and something began to change inside of her. “Over the years, God has given me clarity and a deeper understanding of exactly what happened that day on my back deck,” the book reads. “It may seem strange that God would use a ladybug to speak to me. But, in his wisdom, He used the non-threatening wonder of his creation to pursue me. The moment the ladybug landed on my arm was the moment I turned to face God.”
Lewis’ life began to change after that day on her deck. She returned to school to receive her massage therapy license and later began to offer classes and workshops on finding peace. She also began the book. “I feel like because of my experience of hitting rock bottom and coming out of this, I needed to share my story,” Lewis said sitting at her massage table last week. “He placed it on my heart to write a book. With the workshops I did, it gave me the confidence to start the book.” Lewis started writing in July 2009. “That is when I felt the confidence to put my hands in motion,” she said.
Lewis said her book isn’t only for those who have hit “rock bottom,” but for those who my have issues with control or simply struggling with a busy life and finding peace. “He desires that we become still in his presence,” she said. “Stillness, it can be a time of physical stillness, but to me, it is when everything in you is completely still.” She describes her book as “very practical and applicable.”
Chapters include Practicing Stillness with God, Laying the Burdens Down, Practicing Gratitude, Removing the Mask, Eating Life or Death and Living in the Moment.
“I just have a heart to encourage people to climb out of their mess,” Lewis said. “It is not just for the person in the dark valley. I think it can touch anyone. I hope people want to stop and be still with God.”
Today, Lewis’ business offers nurturing massages to “help people be still.” She has also created a CD, “A Breath in Stillness.” She said the CD helps people get rid of the “chatter monkeys.”
For more information about Healing Naturally, Lewis or to order a book or CD, visit www.myjourneytohealing.com.
BE LOVE, GIVE LOVE
