WHEN ALL THE ODDS SAY THERE IS NO CHANCE, HOPE REIGNS TRUE!

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The Healing Shower, by Eloise Laws (Knowledge Power Books, Valencia, California, 2012, 131 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

 

When all the odds say there’s no chance,

Amidst the final dance,

I’ll be your comfort through your pain

I’ll be your shelter in the rain.

  • Stevie Wonder

Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, musician, political           activist and philanthropist.

November 13, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Eloise Laws, an award-winning vocalist, Tony-nominated actress, author, and breast cancer survivor – in her debut book The Healing Shower, shares her personal journey, surviving the “ups and downs’ of breast cancer. Inspired by the outpouring of love and support she received from family and friends, prompted her to write this thought provoking and deeply moving book. In this thoughtful and well-written book are all the tools one who is suffering from a life-threatening illness will need as a guide when considering a “Healing Shower” before or possibly returning home from surgery. As East County’s Jamie Reno attested to in his book Hope Begins in the Dark, which this writer also had the honor of writing a review of in the East County Magazine, cancer can be a never ending battle. San Diego City Councilwoman Marti Emerald is also fighting this debilitating disease of cancer.

Lake Payne, a contributing writer of A Healing Shower, a realtor and cosmetologist, truly believes that through the power of forgiveness, positive thinking, and unconditional love, the body can heal itself. The foreword to this encouraging and insightful book was written by Laws’ longtime family friend Judge Joe Brown. He gives inspiring words which seem to fit the overall theme of the book.

Laws describes a Healing Shower as: “It’s a time for loved ones to come together and celebrate positive energy before an ill family member goes off to receive intensive surgery, i.e. cancer. It’s an occasion for wishing a person well on a safe and healthy road to recovery. A Healing Shower is similar to how we celebrate life’s milestones – wedding gifts, birthday presents and so on, guests arrive prepared to help the loved one with a deed(s), such as; taking the loved one to regular doctor’s appointments, doing the laundry on a weekly basis, preparing meals three to four times a week, and many other tasks your loved one will need during this difficult time.”

Indicative of what this book is about is what the author includes in the appendix of this informative book, namely, “Power of Attorney Forms” and “Advanced Health Care Directive Form” instructions. Clearly, Laws had a concern of ‘getting her house in order” in the event that her illness became debilitating. This could be a similar and fitting recipe for anyone facing a life-threatening situation such as described in this book.

As a cancer survivor myself, my job supervisor Marc Fawcett, my church, mother and numerous other family and friends provided me with a “Healing Shower.” As a matter of fact, after surgery and during my stay in the hospital in my hometown of Chicago for a month in recovery, my mother stayed at my home with my wife and kids for a week, attending to my every need. My church provided me with spiritual support, as well as paid my rent for a month.

In an extended phone conversation with Laws, she shared with me intimate details of her being diagnosed with cancer and recovery from it. She made a most profound statement to me that resonates with such truth and reality that I felt compelled to write down during the course of this phone interview. The author stated: “No one will escape this dreadful disease – everyone will either know someone or have some family member or co-worker impacted by cancer.”    

My sister Janet in Atlanta recently returned home from major liver surgery, after several months earlier returning home from cancer surgery. Just as Laws’ family did, our family surrounded Janet with love and support in both instances, and most importantly, a constant stream of prayers. This book by Laws is truly an inspirational book that anyone facing something similar could benefit from. To indicate her complete recovery and renewal of her life, the author will be performing at the Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles on December 3rd of this year, which I hope to attend.

Eloise Laws will be sharing the stage with trunpeter Tom Browne at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood on April 12, 2018. Tom Browne is noted for his rendition of "Funkin for Jamaica". I definitely plan to be there to see this can't miss performance.

I trust that Tom Browne will be performing his classic tune "Funkin for Jamaica", which you can actually listen to by clicking on here.

Dennis Moore is the Associate Editor with the East County Magazine in San Diego and the book review editor for SDWriteway, an online newsletter for writers in San Diego that has partnered with the East County Magazine, as well as a freelance contributor to EURweb based out of Los Angeles. He is also the author of a book about Chicago politics; “The City That Works: Power, Politics and Corruption in Chicago.” Mr. Moore can be contacted at contractsagency@gmail.com or you can follow him on Twitter at: @DennisMoore8.


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Comments

Excellent review

God bless you Ms. Eloise Laws! You have persevered through such an awful disease, and have shared with so many who will be touched by your journey! My father broke the news right before Thanksgiving, that he had prostate cancer. He gathered all of us around the table and said nothing, he just handed a piece of paper to one of us and we read it and passed it down. The room was quiet no one said a word. I am the oldest girl, so I said “Oh this is going to be alright dad, you know they are making great advances in the treatment of prostrate cancer” I looked around and smiled at everyone, and everyone followed my lead. We were so positive about it, that my dad perked up and we were laughing and continuing on like nothing was said! We told him, that we had his back, and God had it all in control!! The positivity really made the difference. He went through his treatments in Houston and is at home doing very well! Already up preaching and doing way too much! Lol. What a terrific perspective that you share! I pray that God continues to bless you and I touch and agree with you for all things that you pray for daily!! Cortina Jackson Author of “On Earth as It is in Hell” www.cortinajackson.com

Monthly Family Healing Showers

Dennis, thank you so much for writing this book review that means so much to me. My nephew Darrington has been fighting Colon Cancer for the past three years. So far he has had to quit his job, quit school that he love so much, and move back in with his mother. At this time he is very depressed as he feels as though his life is over, but I often pray for him and encourage him to think positive. Since his Cancer diagnosis, the family has decided to get together monthly, just to have dinner and also to be supportive to Darrington and each other as a means of healing. I never thought of it as a healing shower, but we've been coming together for quite a while now, and everyone seems to love it. We no longer wait for the holidays. What a nice book Mrs. Law has written to help us help those individuals with their illness. A Healing Shower is exactly what I need to encourage my nephew. I certainly intend to purchase a copy because it really means so much to me. God bless you both. Gladys Seedorf Author What Mama Said

Healing Shower by Eloise Laws, Review by Dennis Moore

This is a wonderful book review Dennis, about celebrating victory in these envelopes we call bodies that eventually will send us all to loving arms. It is so important to keep God's words in our minds in all things, and sometimes so difficult. I am happy for the victory of Ms. Laws for it is an encouragement to us all. Breast cancer attacks a woman at a center of her femininity and at a site that nurtures new life. It is more than an attack on her body. It is good to put myself in remembrance of God's Word as my husband has very recently had a fusion of the bones of his neck due to an injury he sustained from falling off a building some years ago. He is a matter of fact sort of man and he told me that after the hoist he was installing on an industrial building along with two other commercial roofers flew off in a sudden gust of wind the men were soon flying through the air safety belts attached to the doomed hoist. He and the others escaped the death grip of the belts and he said he saw the ground flying up at him. Then he felt something push him to the side and he landed on a small area that jutted out from the building. Nothing was broken. Over time the traumatized bones in his neck deteriorated and he had an eight hour surgery and is in a heavy duty brace for three months. In short, he had emergency surgery or could have been paralyzed. I have been calm for a month but today he said he did not feel right. I lost it. I was in hysterics. The thought of losing him was too much to bear. I forgot God's words and power for that time. You story, Ms. Laws,has brought it back. Thank you for your book, Dennis, thank you for your review. These flesh envelopes certainly can be difficult to deal with in so very many ways. By the way, I spent much time in the Chapel at Baylor Hospital filling my spirit with the glory of their stained glass windows. The sun blazing through the glass pieces was a hint of the glory beyond. MJ Payne Author The Remembered Self: A Journey into the Heart of the Beast

Love is a healing ointment

Dennis, you write so many reviews and always do such an excellent job in your assessments. Cancer is something that no one wants to tackle because it's an evil disease that far too many of us have come in contact with one way or the other. It is evil because the very thought of the word brings fear. But the scriptures say, "God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and soundness of mind." From excerpts in this review, the author, Eloise Laws speaks about the love and support of her family and friends that brought her through her crisis. That's a testament to the fact that "there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear," and the greatest of all virtues is love which has healing properties. I agree with Ms. Laws; it's time for families to come together in love and fellowship before any crisis hits. Thank God, we are now experiencing this in our family. It's a beautiful thing to experience the love of a family. The title Healing Shower speaks to me that love is the healing shower that we all need...individually and as a family unit.