Almost Losing Our VW Van – Another Miracle-Shared Heart

May 2, 20232 years ago BeckyWillis 518 Views 0 Comments

Dear Shared Heart Friends, another miracle

Spiritual Chanting May 20, 7-8:30 pm, FREE
A remarkable 90 minutes of singing, chanting (mainly in English), and opening your hearts to the divine. Join Barry and Joyce with guest musicians. Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Cruz

Summer Couples Retreat June 22-25

Would you like your relationship to reach a new level of love, healing, intimacy, and commitment? Couples describe these weekends as a safe and loving place to learn and practice new skills for their relating.

The Greatest Journey Nov 2023-Apr 2024
Find and live your dream, your passion, and your purpose! Individually and together with a small, carefully chosen group of 8-14 participants (singles or couples), these 6 months will help you recreate your life.

We are excited to offer our FREE album of sacred songs and chants, “I Stand for Love,” our first musical recording. You can download the whole album for free, or listen to it on YouTube. Wait till you hear the exquisite harmonies added by our son, John-Nuri.

Free Album Download
Listen on YouTube

Excerpt from this month’s article: “My mind flashed on the worst outcome. If the van rolled onto its side, it probably would either slide or continue rolling down the bank. We stood a chance of losing the van and all our belongings.”

Our latest book: Heartfullness: 52 Ways to Open to More Love, is available only on Amazon.com as a Kindle e-book for only $5.99 (or paperback for $15.95). Read what one reviewer says:
“I love love love this book!! For me, it’s like a thought for the day … I read — then carry that nugget of love, joy, or peace to ponder and bathe in throughout the day, –or even take into my meditations!! Such a treasure !! priceless!” –Trish Turpel
Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Heartfullness-Ways-Open-More-Love-ebook/dp/B081K926GY

Unbelievable Book Sale: To Really Love a Woman and To Really Love a Man (each regular price $15.95) now $15 for both with free shipping; and if you buy both, as a bonus, just $3 each (and free shipping) for as many as you want of the following books: The Shared Heart, Models of Love, Risk To Be Healed, Rami’s Book, Light in the Mirror, and A Mother’s Final Gift. Please call Paris at 831-684-2130 to order.

Shared Heart Column
Heartfulness May 2023
with Joyce and Barry Vissell

“Almost Losing Our VW Van – Another Miracle”

The following is an excerpt from our soon-to-be-published book: A Couple of Miracles: One Couple, More Than a Few Miracles.

One morning in the autumn of 1974, I unfolded a map of California and started studying it. I have always loved maps. Joyce sat next to me, finishing her breakfast.

“Look on this map, Joyce. There’s a wild area, the Mendocino National Forest, just north of San Francisco. Let’s go.”

And just like that, we took off in our VW van. I have always appreciated Joyce’s great love of the outdoors and her adventurous (most of the time) spirit. Given what was to happen, I am surprised she still goes on adventures with me!

We didn’t know just how primitive the roads were, how undeveloped it was. We just drove. Or rather, I just drove. Joyce was too scared to drive on bumpy dirt roads that hugged the sides of mountains … with no guide rails and a sheer drop-off.

We had recently had our first rain of the year after months of no rain. Being new to California, we didn’t realize what that first rain did to dirt roads in the mountains. Conditions were muddy, slippery, and treacherous.

After a few close calls … we almost slipped off the cliff in a few places … I realized that we had no business being here without four-wheel-drive. But how to turn around? There didn’t appear to be any places wide enough. We had to keep driving up the mountain. To make matters worse, it was beginning to grow dark.

Finally, I spotted a turnout … sort of. It would have to do. I slowly and carefully negotiated a turn but started to slip sideways toward the edge of the drop-off. With every move I made, our van slipped a little more toward the edge. Forward gear, a gentle push on the gas pedal, and slipping to the side rather than forward. Reverse, and the same thing…

The situation looked grim. I got out and surveyed the scene. This was long before cell phones, so there was no calling AAA or other help. Instead, realizing we needed divine help, we prayed sincerely.

We decided there was nothing more to do until morning. We camped that night in the severely slanted van. For most of the night, Joyce was pressed against me, and I was pressed against the van wall. It was not our best night’s sleep. Okay, Joyce pressed against me had its perks.

The following day, I walked over to examine the drop-off. It wasn’t as bad as I thought the night before. It didn’t go straight down. Instead, it sloped steeply for about thirty feet, and then it leveled out on a reasonably level spur road that rejoined our road a little way down the mountain.

I told Joyce to get out of the van, just in case. She was worried. “Barry, what are you going to do?”

“I think I’ll try one more time.”

I didn’t sound convincing. She didn’t even try to hide her worried expression.

I got into the driver’s seat, put the van in gear, and slowly let out the clutch. The rear wheels turned, but again we did not go forward. Instead, we slipped to the right, and both right wheels dropped over the edge of the turn-out. The van leaned precariously over the edge and seemed on the verge of rolling over.

I acted quickly. I opened the driver’s door fully and jumped out of the van, hanging onto the open door as a sort of lever to try to keep the van from toppling. Now I was in a desperate situation! If the van started to go over the edge sideways, I would have to let go of the door and just let it go. As long as I kept my full weight on the end of the door, the van stayed put.

Now what? I knew I couldn’t stay there forever. Without help, we were really in a bind. We hadn’t seen another car since we had been on this dirt road.

My mind flashed to the worst outcome. If the van rolled onto its side, it would probably slide or continue rolling down the bank. We stood a chance of losing the van and all our belongings.

Just when I didn’t think I could hold on to that door any longer, we heard voices. A few minutes after that, out of the woods above us came three big young men wearing backpacks. They lost no time in jumping into rescue mode. One of them had a climbing rope, which he quickly secured to the roof rack on our van. All three of them, with Joyce and my help, tried to get the van back up top, but without success.

I made a decision. I announced, “Okay, guys, this is what I’m going to do. You hold onto that rope to keep the van from toppling over, and I’m going to turn the van down the bank and drive straight down to the road below us.”

Joyce said, “Barry, that sounds crazy!”

I answered her, “Yeah, maybe, but I really think I can make it. And it looks like it’s our only hope.”

The three men looked grim but nodded their consent to me.

One man spoke, “Go ahead. We’ll do our best to keep the van on its wheels.”

Sometimes there are just no guarantees in life….

I got in the driver’s seat once more, this time turning the steering wheel to the right, down the bank, shifted into first gear, and let out the clutch. The van started to slip sideways, going into an even more precarious tilt. Without those three strong men holding the rope, I would have surely rolled over.

Then another miracle happened. The rear wheels grabbed enough of the hillside to propel the van forward just enough to begin the turn down the steep bank. The next second, I was part rolling, part slipping, accelerating straight down the bank, hit bottom with a loud clunk, and then bounced onto the road. We had made it! Without any damage to our van!

I heard a whooping cheer erupt above me as Joyce and the men crept and slid down the bank toward me. There was hugging and congratulations.

Joyce said, “We want you all to know that you are the answer to our prayers. We couldn’t have gotten out without your help.”

One of the men said, “I hurt my ankle last night, and the three of us decided to abort our trip. We knew we had a thirty-mile hike out but had two choices. One way was by trail all the way down the mountain. The other way was a trail the opposite way to the dirt road we saw on our map. It was significantly longer to walk to our car via this second route, but we chose it. We didn’t know why. It just felt right. Little did we know we would come out onto the dirt road right here and be able to help you.”

We offered the men a ride back to their car, for which they were grateful. At their car, we said our goodbyes and again commented on the fantastic synchronicity of events. It was yet another miracle in a long string of miracles called life.

Joyce & Barry Vissell, a nurse/therapist and psychiatrist couple since 1964, are counselors near Santa Cruz, CA, passionate about conscious relationships and personal spiritual growth. They are the authors of 9 books and a new free audio album of sacred songs and chants. Call 831-684-2130 for further information on counseling sessions by phone, online, or in person, their books, recordings or schedule of talks and workshops. Visit their website at SharedHeart.org for their free monthly e-heartletter, their updated schedule, and inspiring past articles on many topics about relationships and living from the heart.

Our schedule at a glance (details below — All events are now in-person):

May 20, Saturday:  Spiritual Chanting and Singing
June 22-25:  Summer Couples Retreat
November 2023 – April 2024:  The Greatest Journey (Mentorship Program)

Quote of the Month:

“There is only one love relationship, the bond between the outer personality and the inner being, the bond between the soul and the spirit, the human and the divine.” – The Shared Heart, p. 5

Please join Joyce and me in holding a vision of a world where women, men, and children of all nations, races, and religions can see and feel the divine in themselves and one another. Here is our current 2023 workshop schedule. Joyce and I would love to see you at one of these events. Please remember how vital this spiritual-emotional growth work is. Together let’s take another step into the heart of love and deeper awareness, where real-world healing begins. Peace be with you all.

May 20: Spiritual Chanting and Singing

A remarkable 90 minutes of singing, chanting (mostly in English), and opening your hearts to the divine. Join Barry and Joyce with guest musicians. If you are a musician, please bring an instrument and join us.

When: Saturday, May 20, 2023, 7-8:30 pm
Where: Center for Spiritual Living, 1818 Felt St, Santa Cruz, CA
Cost: FREE or Love offering to support CSL.

June 22-25: Summer Couples Retreat

July 21-23: Esalen Couples RetreatLearn skills to dramatically improve your relationship while luxuriating at one of the most uniquely beautiful retreat centers we have ever visited.

November 2023 – April 2024: The Greatest Journey (Mentorship Program)
Find and live your dream, your passion, and your purpose! Individually and together with a small, carefully chosen group of 8-14 participants, these 6 months will help you transform your life.

Volunteers Needed. The Shared Heart Foundation needs volunteers. If you would like to support our vision and work, no matter where you live, email info@sharedheart.org
.
Counseling with the Vissells. For individuals or couples who need help, you can choose from one hour to a two-day intensive with either one or both of us. http://sharedheart.org/counseling/

An easy way to support The Shared Heart Foundation. Now you can support us with every Amazon order you make. Just go to smile.amazon.com, sign in like you usually do, specify The Shared Heart Foundation (you only have to do this once), and 0.5% of every order supports us. Thank you for this support.

Our love and blessings to you all,

Barry and Joyce Vissell

Please click on SharedHeart.org for inspiring articles about relationships and consciousness and our updated schedule.