The Crystal Staircase

A Woman's Journey (a story inspired by true events)

by Sandra T. Francis

The Crystal Staircase
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The Crystal Staircase

A Woman's Journey (a story inspired by true events)

by Sandra T. Francis

Published Feb 12, 2014
131 Pages
Genre: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Inspiration & Personal Growth



 

Book Details

Reader Responses:


This is a wonderful, mesmerizing story of a woman’s search for her deepest self. The characters are so real and believable and human that one forgets this is fiction. The author has extracted from her own life the beauty, compassion, and wisdom that fill the characters in this work. I highly recommend this novel to any of those who are seeking a better understanding of their lives and perhaps the purpose in those lives. This work is a little gem. —Locke Rush, Ph.D, psychotherapist and marriage counselor

The Crystal Staircase is a heart-centered exploration of a wounded healer and the beginnings of her journey toward wholeness. While deeply personal, the story is also accessible, with many “I have been there” and “YES” moments. —Rabbi Elyse Seidner-Joseph, M.D

I felt an immediate connection to the narrator of this story. Together we journeyed through the maze of time and experiences until we found the door leading to the crystal staircase, climbed to the top and joyfully said, Amen! —Reverend Dr. Deborah Tanksley-Brown

The Crystal Staircase is about the spiritual journey toward healing and wholeness. It shows how we can heal ourselves by our contemplation (inner dialogue) and also by engaging others around us in graceful and loving ways. I think any woman reading this story will find a little bit of Eva Green inside herself. —Lisa Cannella, member of the Daughters of Abraham book club, Chester County, PA

 

Book Excerpt

Prologue Every year thousands of Americans enter training to become healthcare professionals. Some have noble purposes in mind: they want to save lives, ease suffering, and be useful. Others may be guided by more practical concerns, such as job security, a steady paycheck, good benefits, and the satisfaction that comes from having a profession rather than a job. Some want the title of doctor and the respect and status they think will come with it. Most do not know what they're getting themselves into--that particular awakening comes much, much later. Somewhere in the Northeast, four professionals who do not yet know each other are about to embark on a journey. They differ in age, job title, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexual orientation, yet they are all alike: All have devoted their lives to taking care of the sick, and now they are the ones in need of care. It is an unusual situation for them, and they are not sure how to handle it. Case 1: The depressed psychiatrist A man in a suit stands at the airport waiting for his employee to arrive. The woman has been abroad for a year on a leave of absence. She's easy to spot in the crowd: a large woman, colorfully dressed, with a beautiful smile and sad eyes. They indulge in a quick hug and then sit down to sip tea and catch up. "How was Japan?" the man wants to know. "Polite, peaceful, and clean" is the answer. "And how are you?" is the next question. This one is not so easy to answer. The woman shrugs and replies, "Well, in Japan I felt much better because the people and events that hurt me were far away. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel now that I'm back." There is silence for a while, and then the man pushes a paper across the table and says, "I saw this in a journal. I want you to read it, and I want you to go. Come and see me when you've finished and we'll decide how to proceed from there. Case 2: The angry doctor Nearby, in his hospital office, a doctor is on the phone with his ex wife who is telling him things he does not want to hear. Her new husband has found a great deal on a family vacation to Disney World, with airfare, hotel, and park admissions included. The doctor's eleven-year-old son, who was scheduled to go on a fishing trip with dad, is no longer interested. The man asks to talk to his son and tries to keep his voice calm although he is boiling inside. He listens as the boy tells him that they can go fishing anytime, but Disney World is special. The father replies that he'd be delighted to take his son to Disney World but, after an awkward pause, the boy's response breaks his father's heart: "But Dad, this is supposed to be a family vacation." The doctor manages a civil reply and then ends the conversation. For the first time he realizes that something precious in his life has gone forever. It is clear that he must adjust to the fact that his son is attached to his mother and stepfather and they are a family now. Dad is a peripheral figure. He is no longer part of a family. The doctor puts the phone down and enters the surgical ward where he unleashes his anger on a hapless nurse, not realizing that the head surgeon is a witness. This is not his first transgression. Very quickly he is ushered into his superior's office, where the man comes straight to the point. He removes a small notice from his bulletin board and hands it over. "You need this, Pete. Come and see me when you return." Later, the angry doctor finds himself on the roof of the hospital where he often goes to smoke and decompress. He stand perilously close to the edge and, for a moment, wonders if his son might not be better off without him. He shakes his head and steps back, knowing that he cannot jump. His entire professional life has been devoted to staving off death at all costs, and he's not about to give in to the enemy now. Case 3: The sad nurse In another hospital in another room, a large man dressed in blue scrubs has left work and is sitting at the bedside of his partner. The man in the bed is frail and fighting pneumonia. Each man worries about the other; one is afraid of dying, and the other is afraid of surviving and being left alone. With great effort the sick man reaches for something on his bedside table and hands it to the one who cares for him. "Now look," he says weakly. "I heard the nurses talking about this, and I want you to go." The seated man does not get a chance to protest as his partner quickly continues. "I'm not asking you to go; I'm telling you to go. This is the best way to help me. Do you understand?" The big man nods sadly and they hold hands until the nurse comes with the pain medication. Case 4: The tired nurse A woman unwinds her stethoscope from around her neck as she drives home after a long shift. The drive, which should take an hour, takes two because of a wreck. She takes two pills for her headache. When she arrives home, the house is a mess, but no one does anything about it because that's her job. She's too tired for dinner, so she turns in early after taking two more pills for her backache. After tossing restlessly for several hours, she comes downstairs and sits at the kitchen table, head in hands. Her old dog Buddy gets up stiffly, lays his head in her lap, and whimpers a little. She strokes his ears and lifts his face to hers. "You know something, Buddy," she signs, "you're the only one around here who gets me." In response, Buddy licks her elbow. Reluctantly, she takes two sleeping pills and waits for them to kick in. She reaches for the closest bit of reading matter. Only one item catches her eye, but it gives her an idea. "What do you think, Buddy? Should I go?" Buddy doesn't respond. He's busy chewing the ears off her bunny slippers. The depressed psychiatrist, the angry doctor, the sad nurse, and the tired nurse do not know it yet, but something good is going to happen. All they have to do is go.

 

About the Author

Sandra T. Francis

Sandra T. Francis, RN, BA anthropology, Master of humanities, Ph.D anthropology, has been an assistant professor, adjunct faculty, at the Community College of Philadelphia for the past ten years. She lives happily in rural Pennsylvania with her husband of forty-three years and her old cat Marley. She is seen here on the streets of New York with a male admirer.

Also by Sandra T. Francis

The Culture of Goodness