IONS Donor Spotlight: Ann Wade
For thirty days in 1988, Ann Wade lived a solitary existence — no companions, no TV, no phones. In the silence, she found answers within nature to questions she had long posed to herself.
Now Wade sees that giving herself a month in a cabin on Lake Superior to bask in silence and allow her mind the freedom to reflect and review her experiences and lessons learned along the way, as well to test her beliefs was the peak experience of her life. Written in 2002, Wade's book, Out of Silence: A Personal Transformation, came about as a result of that solitude. Her story reveals what Wade found on the lonely miles of trails that advanced her spiritual journey. Wade said, "In writing with the hindsight of fourteen years, I see more distinctly how this one experience transformed my life. My story describes the events as they truly happened and is enriched by meaning and understanding that became more evident with time. The insights realized guide me to this day. I believe these types of experiences are not unique or uncommon; it’s just that this experience was uniquely mine."
During this sabbatical, Wade also came to understand the one ingredient that if integrated into her behavior could change her life forever — unconditional love. Out of Silence is rich, moving, and filled with truths.
Ann Wade is an active 76-year-old author and IONS member, whose presence and writing exude light, grace, and wisdom. Positive shifts throughout her life happened with intention and trust: She relies on her capabilities, visualizes positive outcomes, accepts the guidance of her inner voice, goes with the flow, and celebrates the unfolding of life’s journey as perfect. "What you say and think are so important," said Wade. She marvels at how we suffer in life, when her experience tells her it is really so simple: "As you think, so you get." She is a compassionate woman who believes we are all doing the best we can with what we have and where we are.
Wade began her path of involvement in mind/body studies and practices in the mid-1970s in part because of personal suffering. She attended a workshop that taught her how to overcome deep emotional pain with a daily practice of relaxation, affirmation, and visualization for supplanting negative beliefs inherited in childhood conditioning. After she moved to Minnesota, Wade conducted this workshop in Minneapolis and Iowa City. Teaching strengthened the concepts and her resolve to deeply integrate this work into her own self and life.
Willis Harmon first introduced Wade to IONS when she attended a talk in the early 80's, shortly after moving to Minneapolis. It was a great gift to hear Harmon talk about IONS' mission and scientific focus in the realm of consciousness. Understanding the work undertaken by IONS gave her a sense of optimism and re-dedication to be of service to the betterment of humanity. Ever since, Wade has been an IONS supporter and a faithful attendee at IONS conferences, which she experiences as uplifting reminders to maintain a spiritual focus.
Her rich spirituality and wisdom now manifests as service to others through her writings. First, a small booklet Seeing Too Late about her nephew Stan, who is blind from a motorcycle accident; second, Out of Silence, A Personal Transformation, a memoir of thirty days in solitude in the northern woods of Minnesota; third, Chocolate Kisses, a creative nonfiction about a friend who died of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Before becoming an author, Ann thrived in a 37-year business career. The corporate structure was a tremendous learning arena for her, in Tucson and then Minneapolis. At 34 she started (with no degree) as an executive secretary for the president and founder of Burr-Brown Research. Ann was graced with success gained through on-the-job experience, an entrepreneur who was a great mentor, and a drive to continuously learn and succeed. She went from being a secretary to being Corporate Secretary, to being the manager of a small business, to holding management positions in a large corporation, to being an independent consultant. Wade's prior victory in conquering a speech impediment was a turning point in her life when she realized "I can do anything," which contributed the confidence she displayed during a Burr-Brown Board meeting when she volunteered to take on the management of a small subsidiary that was eventually bought by Honeywell, Minneapolis.
Even as a young girl, Ann listened to her inner knowing when it whispered that in order to overcome her speech impediment, "I have to talk to people." So at seventeen, she took a job at an ice cream shop, mostly in the background making shakes—except when the owner went to the bank, she had to wait on customers. Often they would ask, "what flavors do you have?" despite the fact that the daily five flavors (this was circa 1947) were clearly written overhead. Wade would say in her head, "if you can’t read, then you’re going to have to listen to me stutter." Her stuttering made the customers more uncomfortable than it did her. But despite the discomfort, Wade continued to place herself in situations where she had to talk so she could improve her speech. All the while she was thinking, "I can do this, I am going to do this."
In 1979 her move from Arizona to Minnesota brought her to the next stage of her career. When she landed in Minneapolis for interviews with Honeywell, she had a profound clarity that "this is where I'm meant to be." For sixteen years she fulfilled management roles in marketing, sales, and leadership development and became a recognized motivational speaker. Over time, she yearned to be an independent consultant and visualized this possibility. Then, at the age of 65, it just fell into place. "I enjoyed being an independent consultant to small business and new ventures; it was an opportunity to pass on what I had learned. I thought I'd be working as a consultant until the age 75; however, all signs in late 2000 indicated that it was time to move on."
When her consulting work came to an organic break, she returned to her hometown, Iowa City. Like previous transitions in her life she interpreted the smooth and effortless way in which things fell in place for her move back to Iowa as a message from the universe that she was on the right path.
In Iowa City Wade began writing. Like most of her life, when she allows it to just flow… her writing "just happened." Her first piece was an act of love. She created a booklet for her nephew who had been blinded by a motorcycle accident after some bad choices. The book was an opportunity for him to share his story with young adults so they might see how their decisions affect their lives. The book was titled Seeing Too Late: Coming to Terms with Blindness.
Wade's most recent book, Chocolate Kisses, is an inspirational compilation of diary entries by the close friends of Sandy Weisenburger, a woman diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The diary entries span Sandy's last 14 months. The story depicts how a disease alters lives, how people handle death and dying, and how friendship is one of the most important aspects of a person’s life. As Wade demonstrates in her book, friendships thrive on nourishment, and the depth of friendship depends on the quantity and quality of that nourishment. This brief sketch of Sandy's journey with ALS is a witness to a model of friendship, a tale of ordinary people doing acts of extraordinary kindness.
Abridged excerpt:
I’d been burdened with painful back troubles for a year and had undergone delicate surgery, claimed successful by the surgeon. With his prescribed therapy, I am not improving and lately experiencing sudden falls. I go through a series of neurological tests, and after waiting for weeks, I call for their results and hear Dr. No-Name say, "Oh, you are the ALS diagnosis." Cold, hard words abruptly bringing life to a dead-end. Those three letters had never been uttered before. I drop the phone and feel my emotions twist, turn, knot like jungle vines. I’d just heard the verdict. I drag myself with the walker to the bathroom sink—heave, wipe the eyes, sob, heave, look in the mirror.
Sandy, look at you — out of control. I never thought the sentence would be this kind of death. My body will be immobile—lifeless—no control. My legs are already losing strength and more to come. Where is my Dr. Kevorkian? Call Stan—Marilyn—Mary Ann—I can’t be alone. I’ll need my friends to survive and, God, to die in dignity.
So begins my last fourteen months in this state of shock, dismay, and fear. I am 72 years old and not ready to die. Nothing matters, but everything does matter. There are days ahead to be lived, a life to put in order, a dignity to be maintained, services to be planned. ‘It’s not over until it’s over, darlin’. It’s still my life, my days and hours. What do I choose for them to be?
It takes courage to live and courage to die. Blessed are we who have the gift for loving friendships, for it is one of life’s precious gifts. With them, there was dignity in my life even unto death.
—from Chocolate Kisses by Ann Wade
Wade is now at work on her first novel. Like her inner voice, like her life, so too does this novel present itself. The story and characters unfold in clarity as she reflects during her daily walks. Wade's intention with this work is to challenge herself in writing richer and richer material.
The Institute of Noetic Sciences celebrates G. Ann Wade's journey as a woman, a mother of three, a business consultant, a writer, and an IONS Circle member. Wade's books are available at Amazon.com. She can be contacted at Annwadei@aol.com.
Note: From time to time we will feature lengthier personal stories on members who are doing inspiring work. This is the first of a series.
