On love and healing and crazy connections from opposite hemispheres with similar souls.
Written by the Two Virginias
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Healing is different things to different persons, as matters we seek healing from are different for us all.
Life’s lessons learned in healing from hard times. The power of reaching out. Helping others through care and compassion. Oddly enough, we find wonderful capacity of healing when we turn our attentions from own troubles, be they physical, mental or a combination thereof, towards someone else. In helping others, we do in turn help ourselves. But finding the authenticity in our motives is essential. When our caring becomes complete – fully for the pure good of the other person – magical things happen. Depression may be lifted. And we may walk again.
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In the past, we both have found the power of healing from horses and creativity.
The healing power of horses is deeply powerful yet beautifully simple. Perhaps it is our compassion for these mighty and gentle creatures, the nurturing we give to them, the essence they impart with us when we do no more than stand beside them and burrow our noses into their warm musky sides, or sit proudly upon their backs and move in wondrous ways. We are stronger, more complete, more humble, more full.
As for creativity, Ginny is a painter, Gin a writer. The expression of any art is an inner release. Paint and the written word can be forms of bleeding forth, purging ourselves, enriching others. From Ginny’s passionate gesture drawings of horses before her to her painting of a radiant spine after hers was broken, to Gin’s writing of the drama and trauma of family feuds and the loss of foals on the family ranch in her recent memoir, The Color of the Wild, an intimate look at life in an untamed land. (2014 NorLights Press). In our art, we both have learned too that healing it is not just in the creation, but in the sharing. Art is meant to be seen, books made to be read.
A combination of the two stories and two women is passionately shared in the upcoming memoir/biography, Dancing in the Wind, a Tale of Two Virginias. “Two wild women, one debilitating disease, and the adventure of writing in the Patagonia winds. This book is based upon the life of a remarkable woman, Virginia Tice Neary Carrithers, and our time together in the wilds of Patagonia. A tangled web of a tale as seductive as the Argentine mountains in which the story takes place. Intended to be biography of a wonderful, wacky woman who has lived with Multiple Sclerosis for nearly forty years, this tale turns into unique take on telling a story, told by a writer who becomes a part of the world in which she set out to write.”
It is this process of healing and sharing that brought us together and now is bringing the book to fruition.
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A third essential element of healing is found in the pure giving of oneself for the benefit of another. This is probably the most powerful of all. And probably the most difficult to learn and practice.
Ginny (Virginia Neary Tice Carrithers)
Currently, I am working on healing myself from the effects of Multiple Sclerosis which I have been living with for nearly forty years. At times, like now, I am wheel chair bound but don’t give up on being up and dancing again. Soon!
In the process of working on the healing of my body, I continue to try to heal others through reaching out, listening, offering inspiration. For many years, I worked to organize and inspire fundraisers and awareness events for the National MS Society, then focusing on my family and my art. Now I continue to do what I can to reach others and help them through the healing process in part through my website CreativityHeals.org. The greatest gift I can give now is my story. Hopefully you will find inspiration in that (as well as some entertainment!).
Gin (Virginia Tone Getz)
My troubles have seemed slight in comparison. For years we struggled with dividing lands and trying to find a place to call home. Now I have claimed a mountain in Colorado as home (though have a part of me waiting in Patagonia) and my struggles go far beyond the personal as I watch the wilds outside my window first turn from green to brown with the mass infestation of the Spruce Beetle, and now suffer the devastation of tremendous fires and floods.
Distracted by the destruction of the natural world around, I found myself in a great depression. It’s pretty amazing how debilitating our own minds can be. And then how brilliant. As the illness was created in my own mind, so there would I find the path for healing. At some point, I realized it was time to “get over it.” I returned to working on the manuscript of The Tale of Two Virginias. Part way through, I came to this section of being on the rocks above the wild river with the blinding sun and twisting winds and after months of searching, finding myself finally on the rock that was Ginny’s intimate place of prayer. I felt her presence there at the time and the resulting feeling was… well, I describe it in great detail in the book. Powerful. That’s it in a nutshell. So here I was back in Colorado and just reading that brought me back there, along that river, and in the presence of Ginny. And suddenly, I felt the warmth of the sun and the passion of the wind and the exhilaration of Ginny’s beautiful energy. And I began to heal. Starting with returning to the power of giving what I can of myself, my writing, to help others.
The fourth essential element for healing, and the greatest of all, we must remember, is love. Love for each other, the land, animals, and our personal spiritual beliefs.
I think Ginny had been trying to tell me this all along.
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Gin Getz 
I never knew how to pray until I woke up to the realization that I’m praying when I am writing. It’s the path to my inner self and my spirituality and faith. After being lost and finding hope where there was only hopelessness before, hope became the bridge between my spirituality and faith. As I have written before in my blog, “From Hopelessness to Hopefulness – The Bridge to Faith – Weighing Your Faith”, spirituality is the belief that some things are sacred. With hope comes the firm belief, my faith, that that these things will be protected and will come true, especially if I work at it. Helping others is a measure of my faith. Keep up the good work Two Virginias.
HI DICK…
I MUST FIND YOUR BLOG. WRITING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BRIDGE FOR ME WHEN I HAVE BECOME DIS-COURAGED AS I AM NOW. FROM YEARS OF STARTING OVER AGAIN AND AGAIN I HAVE USED TOOLS SUCH AS WRITING, (NOW IN BED, ONE FINGER) REACHING OUT TO THE VAST UNKNOWN…DRAWING , SORT OF, BUT LITTLE BY LITTLE I SEE/FEEL IMPROVEMENT…REWARD THE SLIGHTEST TRY AND IGNORE THE BAD…IT WORKS ON HORSES -KIDS/PEOPLE.
SMALL STEPS- FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE—FOCUS ON LOVE.
THANK U, DICK FOR WORDS,
LOVE TO YOU FROM ARGENTINA.
GINNY
creativityheals.org
Thank you for the kind words. I find mentors everywhere. Kind words from anyone gives one a boost and the determination to keep going and trying. One of my inmate friends (Iv’e had almost 150 over the last five years of my volunteer program) wrote a book on his life experiences and how he went from a troubled teen to finding freedom behind bars. I wrote a recent blog “The Directed Life – Finding Your Niche – More Wisdom from Inside the Razor Wire” including a paragraph on his epiphany. Before posting, I asked him for permission to write about his general experience. He said he would be honored. He is another mentor on my list of many.
Ginny, if you click on Dick’s name, you will be directed to Dick’s website. Click onto his blog for the recent posts. And enjoy the connection and wisdom!
GIN, I JUST SUBSCRIBED TO DICK’S BLOG AS DEPRESSION HAS BEEN HAUNTING ME…I AM CERTAIN IT WILL HELP TO SHARE AS WE BOTH KNOW.
THANK YOU, GIN FOR CONNECTING US, GINNY XXXOOO
Love to you, dearest Ginny. Another lesson learned from Dick’s blog – we are not alone in feeling depressed if we are willing to feel. It’s that wild crazy roller coaster ride we call life. If we are willing to truly feel, we will feel depressed at times. Remember what can heal us. Horses, nature, creativity, movement. And of course, love. For others, and received. So I send you love now, my friend! you are not alone and you are very, very loved.
HI GIN, THANKS FOR YOUR WORDS , YOUR BLOG AND MOSTLY YOUR LOVE…I KNOW THIS TOO SHALL PASS BUT NOT TAKING ACTION AND WAITING JUST TIL WEDNESDAY,MAY 28, FOR THE JUDGE TO DECIDE…WELL I MUST BECOME PROACTIVE AND SPEND MY EVERY DOLLAR TO MOVE FORWARD ON CELLULAR MADRES, FOR BETTER OR WORSE…WED SKY LEAVES FOR A WEEK TO RUN THE RANCH…ANOTHER DELAY . MAJOR CHALLENGES THERE FOR HER AS WELL BUT AT LEAST SHE WILL BE HOME WHERE SHE LOVES…
SHE HAS EARNED IT AND I MUST WAIT AND FIND ANOTHER ART OR GO REALLY ABSTRACT AS MY HAND IS RATHER USELESS YET I LOVE IT GOOD OR BAD…..
UNCOMFORTABLE MAKING A MESS IN THIS FANCY RECOLETA RENTED APT.
ENOUGH MOANING AND GROANING….NOT MY STYLE!
WHEN IS YOUR BEAUTIFUL BOOK, A MEMOIR OF SORTS OF YOUR FOREST GOING TO PRESS? SOMEBODY NEEDED SO MUCH TO PUT IT IN WORDS. YOU, GIN, THERE FIRST HAND, A LOVING, HURTING WITNESS….NOW YOU ARE SO BUSY WITH YOUR LATEST RELEASES, YOU MUST LEAVE THE SADNESS BEHIND…AS CARLY SIMON SAYS,” I HAVEN’T GOT TIME FOR THE PAIN”….SOON I’LL BE THERE ,TOO!
ADELANTE,SISTER! LOVE YOU , LOVE YOU…XXOO GINNY PEARL
HI AGAIN DICK,
I READ YOUR WEB PAGE…VERY MOVING AND FAMILIAR AS MY MOTHER WAS MANIC-DEPRESSIVE, BI-POLAR AS THEY CALL IT NOW. WITH MANY BREAK DOWNS. MY FATHER WAS A NEUROLOGIST AND PSYCHIATRIST. HE VIOLENTLY TOOK HIS LIFE ONE YEAR AFTER HIS ONLY SON, MY BROTHER, BROKE HIS NECK LEAVING BILL A QUADRIPLEGIC AT 21. I WAS 19. ..8 YEARS LATER I BECAME PARALYZED AT 27, 1976.
STRESS WAS THE CAUSE OF MY MS…I HAVE NO DOUBT. I LIKE YOU, USE MANY TOOLS TO MAINTAIN MY HEALTH.
MAY THE CREATOR BE WITH US ALL,
GINNY
Beautiful.
Congratulations to two determined, independent and complex women who met, diamond to diamond – on life’s terms – and irrevocably exchanged gifts. Light often has to be broken to reach its destiny. Well done, you two – look forward to the story.
HI SOULDIPPER,
I ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO READING THE FINAL, EDITED DRAFT AND HOPING IT HELPS OTHERS WITH THEIR CHALLENGES TO GO ON. DON’T QUIT, THERE WILL BE LIGHT AGAIN…NEVER FEAR IF U PERSEVERE..
THANKS FOR THE EN- COURAGEMENT.
LOVE TO U, GINNY
creativityheals.org
HELLO AGAIN, I JUST LOOKED AT YOUR INCREDIBLE WEB SITE AND SUBSCRIBED TO YOUR BLOG…NO WONDER I ALWAYS ENJOY YOUR COMMENTS AND ENTRIES ON FB…
MUCH LOVE AND ADMIRATION, GINNY CARRITHERS
dearest GIN…EYES TOO TIRED TO WRITE NOW BUT WILL FORWARD TO SUE WINTERS TO PUT ON MY WEB PAGE, CREATIVITYHEALS.ORG WELL DONE AND WAS JUST ABOUT TO LOOK FOR THOSE PHOTOS….LIGHT IS RETURNING… LOVE YOU SO MUCH KINDRED SPIRIT….LOVE WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY!!!
GINNY, AKA DAMA DEL RIO/LADY OF THE RIVER
I have enjoyed all your writings but this new work intrigues me more than anything else. Keep us posted when it is all finalized. (We think of you and your “boys” often.) F. Byars
HI FRANCES,
I HOPE WE REACH A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT NEED HOPE AND THE DESIRE NEVER TO QUIT, INCLUDING MYSELF…TOUGH DAYS LATELY AND READING GIN’S ENTRY ON LOVE AND HEALING HAS LIFTED MY DEPRESSION!!!THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE COMMENTED AND TO GIN!
LOVE AND LIGHT TO US ALL , GINNY CARRITHERS XXOO
Very Uplifting
My apologies, friends, for being so slow to respond this past week. It has been a crazy, wonderful, busy week – I’ll explain in my next post. Please know you matter so much to me and it has touched me to read your interest, care, curiosity and excitement for this next story. Thank you. Trust, Ginny tells me. And so I trust it all happens in the right time, and in the meanwhile, do all I can to make it happen!
GIN,
THANKS FOR CHANGING THE FORMAT OF YOUR BLOG!!
NOW I CAN READ IT. ENJOY AND COMMENT….
ADELANTE…
QUE RICO… U ARE FAMOUS FOR THIS IN THE CAMP AND CHACRA!
DO U REALLY RESPOND TO ALL THESE POSTS???
VAMOS A VER/WE WILL SEE
YES! Because I love you :) (and I happen to be sitting in front of the computer right now, ha ha)
I AM VERY IMPRESSED!!!
AND MISS U AND SO GLAD U ARE IN MY LIFE…JANICE LEFT LAST NIGHT AFTER 2 LOVE FILLED MONTHS…55 YEARS CANNOT BE REPLACED BUT I REALIZED HOW MUCH I MISS A TRUE-BLUE FRIEND!!
WILL U, GIN GETZ, BE MY YOUNGER , OTHER TRUE-BLUE FRIEND TIL DEATH DUE US PART???
JANICE LIVES IN RIFLE, COLORADO.WOULD THIS BE BIGAMY?
IF NOT, I LOVE U ANYWAY…U KNOW MORE ABOUT ME THAN JANICE AS SHE HAS NOT READ MY TIME LINES…
You are stuck with me, sister. I gave you my word, and ups and downs as we may go through, together and apart, we’re connected, you and me. Better get used to it :) So very glad you had your dearest friend there for so long, what an angel indeed. Hold her in your heart as I know she will you. Distance is just a number.
THANK YOU, GIN….I NEED THIS—-
SENDING LOVE TO YOU ALWAYS….ADELANTE!!
HI GIN,
DO YOU FOLLOW UP ON OLD BLOGS? WE WILL SEE IF U ANSWER THIS!
I HAVE BEEN THINKING SO MUCH ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BOYS. I HAVE SOME IDEAS TO SHARE….LOVE AND MISS YOU, WILD WOMAN.
GINNY, STILL IN BUENOS AIRES!!
Sometimes slow in my responses, but I come around eventually! The regular thoughts are quite mutual. As is the love and missing you. So concerned with all you are going through in BA and look forward to updates. Getting ready for the release of my second book on June 30th, then time to return to completing Dancing in the Wind… and see what magic we can make together! Look out, world :)
HI GIN, DO YOU ANSER OLDDER POSTS….HOPE SO. LOVE U.
For you, my dear… of course!
SO HAPPY YOU ANSWER OLDER POSTS…..MOST LIKELY RETURNING TO THE CHACRA WITH SKY THE END OF OCT,
GOOD BYE BUENOS AIRES —-HELLO PATAGONIA!
SKY IS PUSHING ME TO WATCH MERLIN ON NETFLIX NOW-YA!
LOVE TO ALL
MIGHT USE THIS POST TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU AND KEEP OUR BOOK GOING……
We need to go back to Bruno’s and refill our tanks and start this life again with your free spirit leading the way!
BARRY—IS IT REALLY YOU? SUCH A WONDERFUL HISTORY—LOVE TO SEE YOU AGAIN! LOVE YOU FOREVER XXXOOO
HELLO TO ALL READERS—-THIS IS GINNY, THE OTHER VIRGINIA. I WANT TO TELL YOU WHAT A WONDERFUL , KIND, CARING AND STRONG WOMAN GIN GETZ IS!!! I TRULY ADMIRE GIN. SHE, HUSBAND BOB ANS COMPANION DOG, GUNNAR, HAVE LEFT THEIR NEWLY BUILT BEAUTIFUL LOG HOME AND TRAVELED TO PATAGONIA TO GALLANTLY HELP MY DAUGHTER, SKY, PREPARE FOR AND TO BE THERE FOR HER AS SHE AWAITS THE BIRTH OF HER FIRST BABY!!
THAT IS A TRUE AND LOVING FRIEND—-THANK YOU, THANK YOU… I LOVE YOU ALL—– GRANNY GINNY
I don’t known if you remember me, Bernard Flint. Days of racing in Louisiana, It has been along time, and I found your sight. Wishing you well in the future, Yours Bernie Flint