Twin Magnolia (ePub)

She's a talented painter and a fine woman with deep soul. At 27 she inherits her grandmother's artwork and her house in Windermere, a wealthy neighborhood in Seattle. But Claudia is consumed by grief. After losing her parents in a car accident at the age of fourteen and her grandfather at eighteen, Claudia has to say goodbye to her only grandmother, as well. Dealing with loss and unspent grief makes her life difficult.

Moreover, she is troubled in her search for love. The romantic relationships she's experienced felt unsatisfying and she couldn't make them work. She has the odd impression that there is a particular man her heart is looking for, but who? It is a soul call, as her grandmother believed, because it feels so strong sometimes that it overwhelms her. And for almost two months now her nights have been marked by a powerful dream of a twin magnolia tree in bloom and a house filled with light.

Encouraged by her grandmother's closest friend Tarana, a well known shaman and healer living on the Kauai island of Hawaii, Claudia decides to travel there and spends over two months in company of this remarkable woman. She plans to develop a deeper connection with nature and hopes to paint some beautiful landscapes from that island. But things don't go exactly as planned. More than learning about her connection to nature, Claudia goes on a deep healing journey. That's how she discovers the healing that can occur through the seven main energy centers of the body, called chakras.

As the parts of her that are in pain begin to heal, things are moving on in her life as well. She meets new people, including Rick, a thirty-two year old with an irresistible charm. She feels a great connection to him and becomes aware of his special attraction for her. Although she doesn't fall in love with him right away, she starts to believe that they might get close to that love one day. But as they go hiking along the Napali Coast on a beautiful, sunny Sunday, Rick tells her that, in spite of his feelings for her, he knows that she's met her matching soul and it is not him. He also tells her about his gift for reading people's lives, his own pain and some unresolved issues he has to deal with. At first disappointed by the way things turn out, Claudia gradually learns to accept the outcome. Rick and Claudia's friendship deepens, and they feel grateful that they can be there for each other.

The healing sessions she receives from Tarana, long and intense at first, become shorter, and Claudia feels less overwhelmed by the emotions released during these sessions. As the pent-up emotions ease out, there is room for new energy to circulate through her body, and Claudia feels full of hope and enthusiasm. When she thinks that what she came there for is accomplished, she has a minor bike accident and meets Dr. Bradley--the man who turns out to be not only the meaning of her dream, but also the soul mate she's been looking for. As their eyes meet, she has an extraordinary feeling that time stops and that moment with him is part of eternity. The dream she's been having repeatedly comes to her attention and she finally understands its meaning. Her search for love is over but not her pain, as she doesn't fail to notice his wedding ring. In spite of Tarana's enthusiasm in telling her that she's met her twin soul, Claudia feels rather heartbroken.

She goes back to Seattle and to her new life. Following Tarana's recommendation, she starts receiving reflexology sessions from a woman at the Seattle Reflexology and Massage Center in order to complete the healing and maintain her balance. That helps her stay energized and serene, and slowly Claudia learns to accept that, because of that ring, Dr. Bradley might never be with her. All that changes, however, when Tarana calls to tell her that he left the ring by his wife's grave...