Last March, the day before my 60th birthday (and my sister's 55th),  I attended my friend Douglas Ruark’s Zoom session called CoffeeTalk with Douglas. He’d put out the invite the week before, right after we all received the stay-at-home order thanks to the COVID crisis. I thought, why not? I love Douglas, and I'm not going anywhere, that's for sure. This will be fun.

I showed up with my coffee; after all, it was 10 am and a good time for a second cup. Honestly, I thought we might discuss coffee, and I didn't know what to expect.

No one was going anywhere, and the constant angst on the news was wearing me out. I could use an uplifting diversion with Douglas and those he invited. I knew it would be inspiring because I'd been following Douglas for years on his My Wish For You Today Facebook Page, and he is a master at bringing people together.

A few years earlier, he had a small, online group called "The Conversation" where I met some other dear, like-minded souls. A couple of those women were in the Zoom room that day, and I was so excited to see them on the screen. Most of the other faces on the screen were unfamiliar to me. Our common denominator was Douglas.

We thought we’d meet together for a couple or three weeks “until the world returned to normal.” Now, 16 months later, we are still meeting weekly on Zoom and have forged inseparable bonds.

What was a group of strangers has become a close-knit group that feels like family. We have shared laughter, tears, births, deaths, and so much more, all while experiencing unconditional love.

We’ve had many milestones along the way during these past 16 months. Several became first-time published authors in The Ultimate Guide to Self-Healing, Volume 2, 3, and 4 by Laura Di Franco. That experience exposed us to fellow authors who became friends and were invited by Douglas to join his special group.

We've had deep discussions that are so satisfying. We keep coming back for more. We are all life-long learners and open to new topics and personal growth.

Here are 11 magical topics we’ve shared during CoffeeTalk:

1.      I don’t know how to pray.

2.      I’ve lost my identity and am floundering for direction.

3.      Divine Guidance and the angels.

4.      Our words of the year.

5.      Living from the heart and the Global Heart Challenge.

6.      Getting Better with Age Now.

7.      Trusting that the best is yet to come.

8.      Finding our Voice.

9.      St. Teresa of Avila.

10.   This exercise showed that I am a writer.

11.   We should write a book.

Speaking of number 11, "We should write a book," which was mentioned casually by Douglas early in February following another great discussion. I thought that was a fabulous idea because CoffeeTalk with Douglas is an amazing group of international individuals who have a soul connection with each other. 

By the end of February, we had our plans underway to write our chapters about what CoffeeTalk with Douglas meant to each of us. We’ve compiled this extraordinary labor of love and respectfully are submitting it to the world with a heart full of love and gratitude on July 28, 2021.

19 Authors, 19 Stories of courage, connection, and celebration during the worldwide pandemic. This amazing book is available on Amazon in Kindle format and paperback NOW. May it bless your heart.

Blessings of love, joy, and peace.

Love,

Janette