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.
