The Journey

By Martin Collis

There was a major milestone on my journey on August 11th when I married Nancy Wardle. I met Nancy 3^1/2 years ago when we were both presenting at a regional conference concerned with Multiple Sclerosis. I stood at the back of Nancy's session and was mesmerized by her knowledge, eloquence and undisguised warmth and empathy for the many MS patients in the audience. One of the great joys in working as a speaker is that you get the opportunity to listen to some remarkable presenters and can be inspired and informed on an ongoing basis.

The wedding was a success in every way. I sang to Nancy and she sang back to me. I managed to quote Bob Dylan from 'Wedding Song.'

'I love you more than ever, more than time and more than love
I love you more than money and more than the stars above
I love you more than madness, more than dreams upon the sea
I love you more than life itself, you mean that much to me.'

Nancy responded with some Emily Dickinson and 'The Rose', the Amanda McBroom poem made famous by Bette Midler.

'Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower, and You its only seed.
It's the heart, afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance.
It's the dream, afraid of waking, that never takes a chance.
It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give.
And the soul, afraid of dying, that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes The Rose.

Nancy is the sort of physician that gives the profession a good name. She works in an area that is often overlooked in our medical system namely, helping patients chart a course through the challenges of chronic disease. She is knowledgeable about many areas of complementary medicine and helps people make effective choices as to how to get the most out of Western medicine and other healing modalities. She is all about wellness and compassion.

Injuries and arthritis prevented me from doing my annual triathlon this year so I joined up with Nancy and a high powered cyclist, Tom Reid, to compete as Team Speakwell in the Sri Chinmoy event in Victoria.

All seemed right with the world until September 11^th which I heard about on my car radio driving to a speaking engagement. It seemed as though the world as we know it had been knocked off its axis by this made for TV terrorism. Suddenly we were faced with the sort of ugly realities that other parts of the world see on a daily basis. I realized how lucky I was as I watched my investments shrink, spent some extra time at airports and dealt with a couple of cancelled international conferences. These are inconveniences, while much of the world deals with hunger, dislocation and death.

'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Written by Marianne Williamson and delivered by Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inaugural Speech

Despite world events, all is well at Speakwell. Here is a dedication to the 'lovebirds' of Speakwell…

Angela & Dino