JANIE
10 / 22 / 2026
At the end of August, Jacob and I took a trip to Ouray Colorado.
What I didn’t know, is that we would meet someone very special there, who would make a lasting impression on us forever.
Janie.
We pass a thrift store in a yurt-looking building with racks of flannels outside. Jacob knows how much I love to thrift.
“We have to go there for you tomorrow.” He looks at me.
“Ok sure, why not” I reply. For whatever reason, I’m not totally in the mood. But it’s sweet he thinks of me so I decide to take him up on it.
The next day, we are driving along the road between the mountains and we pull off to the left to arrive at the thrift store, only to find that it’s not open.
The sign reads: “Usually open from 11am to 5pm … sometimes time differs if we need to eat, do laundry or live.”
I love that.
Neither Jacob nor I know what time it is because that’s just what happens in the mountains. There’s no need to check when the air is that fresh.
We’re about to walk back to the car when a van pulls up.
An older man gets out and comes quickly to the door, greeting us with a smile.
As we walk inside, he jumps right into giving us the spiel about his place. Glass bottles, records of all kinds, second-hand clothes, and trinkets fill the space.
The way he dresses, even smells, how thorough he is … he reminds me of my grandfather. His name is Ron.
“Customer doesn’t like to do it. I don’t mind doing it, so why not?” He explains there’s no sale tax on anything here.
He’s different. Very intentional. Very caring. We are happy to be customers of his.
I spot a pair of overalls in the back. I doubt they are going to fit because the tag says piete. Jacob encourages me to try them on. I cave. Fine.
Of course, I put them on and they fit perfectly.
At the register, we talk to Ron for a while. He’s very pleasant and engaging to talk to. Eager to point us in the right direction around town.
As he’s talking, I notice a woman in a wheelchair peering through the door.
For whatever reason, she feels important. I wonder if she’s going to come in.
Just as we’re about to head out, she does.
“I’m..… Janie”
She has trouble speaking. She takes long pauses. She has trouble moving her limbs. But there is nothing hesitant about her presence.
And we come to find out that in high school she had been in a motorcycle accident that left her brain dead.
Somehow, she woke up.
Jacob, who’s experienced an NDE, acknowledges it must’ve taken courage for her to come back. But she says no, she didn’t remember a thing.
Janie looks at me.
“You know, the first story I ever wrote. It was about a young woman. Me. Overcoming adversity. And I named her Amanda.”
I tear up at the wink from God.
She tells us that she used to teach. Maybe she still does. She’s a writer, too. You can feel her intellect, her purpose, her faith.
“I’m so beautiful. I mean, you know you are too!” She looks at me and proceeds to speak about how gorgeous she is without a single trace of doubt. None.
With everything I know about her so far, she already has my deepest respect. But this!? This reclamation of her beauty. Her exuding wholeness as a woman. THIS is what hits me!
I know so many women who could never claim their beauty this way, not because they aren’t beautiful, but because so many still operate under the conditioning that they have to be given permission in order to see themselves that way. That our beauty must be affirmed by someone else before we can fully own it ourselves.
Well Janie, she doesn’t seem to have that problem.
She’s free. I beam at her.
We talk a while longer with her and Ron. Ron asks Jacob and I what we do for work. I still feel shy saying what I do but Jacob always encourages me, and always gloats about my writing. Ron is excited to hear about it and shares some of his writing work too.
Then, Jacob shares what he does. He talks about his body work and I tear up because I truly watch him change the world every day.
But when I look over to Ron, I feel pain and resistance. He’s polite, but something underneath shut down.
Immediately, I infer why. I can’t imagine how many doctors, specialists, therapists, bodyworkers, and whoever else, Ron and Janie have seen over the years. At this point, it’s safe to assume Janie is Ron’s wife. I‘m curious when and how they met.
I look over to Janie. A big smile spreads across her face after hearing what Jacob does. In this moment, I wonder if Jacob is going to work on her. Maybe that’s why we met her today. But Jacob simply acknowledges her support and doesn’t go further.
Eventually we can feel it’s time to go. We shake Ron’s hand who’s still behind the counter, and then turn to Janie. Jacob gives her a big hug first.
Then me.
And I hesitate. I don't know if I'm hugging her right.
Who thinks about this?
There’s this feeling in me that I want to open my heart more. I want her to feel how much I appreciate her and how much I feel like there is something about this meeting that matters.
So I stay for a second longer.
And then, almost awkwardly, I give her another hug.
Apparently I can be standing in the middle of what feels like a divine encounter and still be worrying about whether I’m hugging someone correctly.
As I’m walking out the door, I look back once more.
She looks at me as if she sees right through me and says “Don’t lose your spirit”
I soften, vulnerably.
“Don’t lose yours either” I reply. Seeing her back.
For a moment, it’s only our souls exchanging a very important message.
And we leave.
As we drive away, Jacob starts talking about the hot springs we are headed to. I’m surprised. It’s unusual for us to have a deep experience like that and not talk about everything afterwards.
I wait.
And eventually, I see the sadness appear on Jacob’s face.
He starts talking about Ron and about how much him and Janie have likely been through together. How he just can’t understand why these things happen.
“Don’t shut down Ron!” He hits the steering wheel. It’s not that he’s upset about Ron reacting to his work, it was that he could see how all of the pain had hardened Ron away from hope. That is what hits Jacob. He cares so much.
I place my hand on his. I may never fully understand the load he carries but I do see the man beneath it. And even still, realizing there’s so much more to him to know.
Two days later, we are getting ready to leave Ouray and drive back to Sedona. We decide to grab breakfast and walk downtown.
As we pull into town, there are plenty of spots open on the main strip but we park down a side street that requires a bit of walk.
While we are at breakfast, we decide we want to get a gift for Janie and drop it off to her at the thrift store, which is about a 10-minute drive away.
We shop around, not yet knowing what we’ll get her. We‘ll know when we see it.
So of course, when we come across a particular bracelet with a yellow / bronze coloring in the perfect size, we immediately know it’s for Janie. She loves leather bracelets and this will match perfectly with what she already wears.
Walking out of the store with the wrapped bracelet and two small cards with quotes for Janie, we realize we forgot the muffin we bought at breakfast inside.
Jacob runs back in to grab it.
Now alone, I turn to look up the street.
And Janie is coming down it in her wheelchair.
My mouth falls open. As does hers.
“Janie!!!” I’m quite literally in disbelief.
As we embrace, all we can do is laugh, dumbfounded.
Another wink from God! And this one feels almost impossible to argue with.
“Janie, we JUST bought you this. And we were going to drive to the store to bring it to you” I hold up the bracelet.
Her mouth hangs wide open.
And when Jacob walks out, we all laugh hysterically again.
We even find out that Janie just came from the church in town that Jacob and I randomly decided to park in front of.
The only thing left to do is to sit together, share the breakfast muffin, and enjoy each other’s company. We talk and laugh for a while.
“MS, what does it matter anyway?” Janie exclaims.
In this moment, Jacob and I understand she has multiple sclerosis. But what’s unique about Janie is the way she relates to it. She doesn’t identify with it. It doesn’t weigh heavily, if at all, on her sense of self.
Again, it’s her freedom that leaves me in awe of her. God’s running through her and it’s obvious.
Eventually Janie looks at Jacob. He feels what she wants.
“Do you want me to work on you?” Jacob offers.
“Would you?” Janie asks.
I’m thankful to hold the space with Jacob, intentionally adding to the field of unconditional love around us.
I’m curious what will happen as he touches her. Will it help?
For context, I’ve never seen Jacob not help someone. He’s got an exceptional gift when it comes to healing and there’s no other way to say it. It’s usually something people have to experience in order to understand.
But for whatever reason, I know this time he’s not going to help her in the way the limited human mind may hope.
Jacob has one hand on her shoulder, the other down by her hand, cradling her right side body. She can barely move this side of her body and I can see him registering why and where things are blocked structurally, altered by the MS.
Holding her compassionately, he looks at her. “Janie, I know this may sound funny. But all I hear is that there’s nothing to be done. You’re whole and complete as you are. There’s nothing to fix.”
A knowing smile spreads across Janie’s face, as does mine and Jacob’s.
She nods.
She knows, she is whole.
Dear Janie,
Thank you for reminding us what true freedom is. You may already know this about yourself, but you’ve completed the most radical act there ever was by only letting God define you. So many people live in fear, “I’m not good enough, pretty enough, healthy enough..…” Some even subconsciously wonder if they are “good” or “bad” and that’s why certain things have happened to them. They wonder if they are repaying debts, old karamas. If somehow they made better choices maybe it would all be “ok”. As if illness was a punishment from God. Maybe you’ve worried about some of these things, maybe you still do. But I saw the real you, and it was undeniable. I see you as one of the most free women I’ve ever met and you can barely move. To me, it says so much about life. Says so much about what a miracle actually is. Maybe it was never perfection, or lack of dis-ease. Maybe it was the laughter between hearts and the tragedy of it all. I don’t know Janie, but you reminded me of something sacred, I know that in my bones. I feel like I prayed for you. So thank you for being a leader to humanity. To me. Makes me wonder about that first story you ever wrote. You know, the one about “Amanda” who overcame adversity and lived a purposeful and beautiful life? Well here you go, if it’s any affirmation - You saw yourself clearly in that story, all along.
Love,
Amanda
If you made it this far - Thank you. I do believe Janie’s story is one the world needs to hear and I’m thankful she was excited for me to tell a sliver of it. If you feel called, I’m positive she will feel it if you send gratitude and love her way.
For my first time completing this story, I hope I captured her essence in a way that truly reflects how incredible she is. There is even more that I hope to share in a longer “chapter” one day.
And thank you Jacob, for making so much of this possible.