Introduction

Welcome to the January 2013 issue of Touch: The Journal of Healing.  Healing is a journey that is traveled over many years.  It involves making transitions from one stage of understanding to another that ultimately allows us to reach a destination.  We may encounter obstacles along the way that require a detour, but detours are temporary.  At times we may find ourselves revisiting what we have learned so that we can apply old lessons to new ones to give us the strength to return to the stages for which we may not have been previously ready.  Each stage offers a lesson from which we broaden our understanding of our shared human experience, but ultimately, our goal is to reach that destination.

We often rely on partners or spouses, or family members or friends to help us process life’s transitions and challenges so that we can move forward in our search for answers.  And though each of us possesses our own unique set of life skills, often we rely on others to help us when we stumble on our journey towards healing.  But whether or not we rely on others for help, ultimately, true healing comes from within.

In this issue we find people who rely on others to help them navigate life’s challenges early in the healing process.  We find individuals who are still searching for answers when what was offered by others did not help.  We also find people who possess a long-acquired inner strength, earned over a lifetime or from living with the devastation of a chronic illness, that seems to carry them forward or has enabled them to find their own answers.  Whether reflecting back to others what they cannot see in themselves, or stepping in when a life is at risk, simply being present during those moments when support is needed or acknowledging a person’s inner strength can be the greatest gift we have to offer.

So that readers can experience an often intense event, writers must possess great skill in order to make an event accessible.  This month, our Poet in Residence, Christine Klocek-Lim,, offers her final essay, Craft, in our Evolution Into Insight series.  Drawing from what we have learned about Experience and Intent, Christine shares her thoughts on the responsibilities of writers to draw upon all their skills so that they can convey with their words the experience they intend to convey for their readers.

Thank you for joining us this issue.  We hope you discover new insights into healing in the pages that follow.

O.P.W. Fredericks, Editor

Daniel Milbo, Assistant Editor