WHOLE LIFE TIMES

Los Angeles    

To lose a child is every parent's worst fear.  As your child grows older and begins to venture out into the world without you, there is always the lingering anxiety and that thought whispering in your head, "Please, be safe."

For George Schwimmer, his nightmare began with a telephone call at mid- night.  His son, David, 18, had gone to Baja California on a kayaking trip with Outward Bound, which has programs designed to teach survival skills.  During David's final exercise in a storm off the coast, his kayak capsized.  Presumably, he was killed instantly, along with his partner and one other person from the trip.  David's body was never found.

The Search for David is a first-person account of a father's attempts to uncover the details of his son's death and discern just who David had been in life.  In a search for final closure, the author began a journey of discovery into his son which ultimately led him also into himself.  With the help of reputable psychics, David's journals, David's friends, and self-exploration, Schwimmer was able to say goodbye to David and change his own life's path.

This is a powerful book that conveys the deep emotions and pain that the author experienced.  For Schwimmer the "not-knowing" was at times harder than losing his  beloved son.  He had no concrete way to say goodbye and had so many unanswered questions. Through his search, he came to realize that the parent-child connection and love transcend even death.    

Life as we know it is only a small inkling of our soul's being.  The Search for David gives us a beautiful account of coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.  It is not only an aid for anyone enduring the grieving process, but an inspiration to us all.   --Jennifer Eyraud  http://www.wholelifemagazine.com                    

The EAGLEye

Canada

A potentially heartbreaking yet triumphant story of a man who loses his son in a  kayaking accident.  It chronicles his search for finding clues to locate the boy's body and to make spiritual contact with him....

Discover along with him, challenge as he challenges, on his quest to these questions: Is there life after death? and could there truly be preexistence of the soul?

APRT NEWSLETTER

The Association for Past-Life Research and Therapies

Probably most APRT members are familiar with the understanding that our lives here on Earth are gifts in learning--that Earth is our classroom.  Most of our lessons are uniquely difficult for each of us, but perhaps one of the most difficult of all lessons to comprehend and resolve is that of a parent losing a child.

In The Search for David, George Schwimmer takes the reader through his experience of this tragic loss.  But if losing a child is one of life's greatest tragedies, then trying to understand and resolve such a loss can bring the gift of finding one's own soul in the process.  And this can be one of life's greatest triumphs.  This is the process and the subsequent gift that George so beautifully writes about in his book: his own personal journey into growth, change, understanding, and the ultimate acceptance of life's purpose, of death--in a word, self-acceptance.

In 1978, George's 18-year-old son, David, was lost at sea off the east coast of Baja California during an Outward Bound kayaking course.  Hoping that David was still alive, and unwilling to accept only the scattered pieces of information given to him surrounding his son's disappearance, George began a search that perhaps only found resolution with the com- pletion of his book.  His search for his son took him through years of exploration, grieving, understanding, and change.  It ultimately involved his own spiritual growth, his discovery of his own true self.  With his son's help, he was able to grasp the lesson of unconditional love.

George experiences the entire range of grieving: the anger surrounding the reality of dealing with a system that is often geared toward self-protection, the feelings of isolation and loneliness of living in a world that often only understands its own pain, of the struggle in trying to find meaning to life through the memory of one's child, and the myriad other pressures that can sometimes shatter one's present existence.  And as sometimes transpires with individuals who are strong in determination--for those who have learned how to survive adversity--George's path may have been the long path.  This, however, adds a unique richness to his writing.

The book shines with personal reve- lations and deep insights.  George has given the reader a glimpse into the deepest recesses of his pain and struggles, and he does so with descriptions that can be visualized and felt.  He is able to describe from the inner, personal level, as well as the objective, impersonal perspective, so that a complete picture of his search evolves.  His outer search for under- standing is no greater than his inner search, and he has integrated both in       his writing.

In a fluid, well-written style, he takes his life and his son's through the present and past, through an inner and outer search, through subjective and objective perspectives, through facts uncovered, and through his own developing inner wisdom.  He has woven his search for David together with his search for his own true self.

Certainly this book can provide understanding, hope and support to those people who have had to search for meaning and peace following the loss of a child.  It can also provide hope to those who are searching for meaning, purpose and understanding in their own pain, and process of life and growth.

In this book the author individualizes the process of human growth. The Search For David gives the reader the rare opportunity of experiencing the personal process of one individual's evolvement at its most profound levels.  George beautifully discloses how deeply personal, sometimes painful, yet ultimately rewarding humankind's spiritual evolution can be.                                 -- Carole Clark