Look and Listen

Biography

Julie Lange was born the eldest of 7 children in a rural Illinois community. After a 14-year career in corporate marketing and PR, she founded and operated her own marketing communications firm for 8 years prior to the events described in this book. After several profound losses within a two-year period stripped away all of the trappings of her previous life, her grieving process gradually evolved into a new career as a writer and community advocate for teens. She played a leading role in the establishment of two nonprofit organizations and a local teen center, and became a national spokesperson against inhalant abuse. Along the way she began studying shamanism and other forms of spiritual healing. Today she is the grandmother of two little girls, and lives with her husband Lou in rural northwest New Jersey. She now leads workshops using shamanic journeywork as a healing tool for people grieving a deep loss. For a schedule of classes, email her at joolybooly@juno.com.

Inspiration

My life is divided into two periods, the time before and after my son Justin died at the age of 16. The two years following his death became a time out of time, a period of suspended animation marked by profound despair, deep fincancial and personal crisis, and moments of unexpected transcendence. Everything I thought I knew about life was in question. Every shred of my self image was taken away. What eventually emerged from that crucible was a new version of myself--a better one, I think--with a life filled with purpose, meaning and, amazingly, joy. During that two-year period, writing helped me heal. In fact, think that's when I actually began to think of myself as a writer. And my first book, Life Between Falls, is a personal account of that time.