The Gift from Within

By Pam Vecchio

A memoir by Pam Vecchio

A book of healing and inspiration.

Pam has been in the healing profession for many years as a Nurse Practioner and an RN. She writes of her experiences, leading toward enlightenment and finding home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pam Vecchio
• Release date: Jun 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201712808

Book preview

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my sister, Debbie. She is the one who inspired me to start it and inspired me to finish. I feel her spirit has been with me to write the words neither one of us were ever allowed to speak.

Foreword

Talking about or exposing people that have abused you isn’t hate towards them. Don’t be fooled by thinking that keeping silent is love. It isn’t love to communicate that they can act in any way they want without consequences. Keeping the silence contributes to the invalidation you have already been burdened with.

Darlene Ouimet

Preface

Hot Springs

Hot Springs, Montana, land of the healing waters. The warm waters are second worldwide in mineral content. Historically people have visited from far away to enjoy and use the healing components of the water. Balneotherapy is a traditional medicinal technique of immersing in mineral water for health benefits. Mostly people soak because it feels good.

We have several different pools to choose from. There is the historical Symes Hotel. There are two private plunges owned by Rose called Rose’s plunge and Big Medicine. Out of town several miles there are pools called Wild Horse hot pools. Each of these pools has a different mineral content and you either obtain a punch card or you place five dollars in the slot prior to entering the pool area. Soaking has both emotional and physical benefits.

Nestled in a valley in Sanders County, twenty miles from the closest town, Hot Springs is separated from the others by being part of the Salish Kootenai Tribe reservation.  The uniquely preserved forest land surrounding Hot Springs lacks the population and intervention of the US Forest Land management. It is as though in their infinite wisdom the tribe recognizes Spirit owns the land, not man. This is experienced by those of us privileged to acquaint ourselves with these areas.  Only a tribal pass will allow entrance on to the land, and it seems only those of us who appreciate the area are the ones that honor the pass.

The town has a population of five hundred and forty people. Although somewhat economically challenged, Hot Springs is as eclectic as any inner-city population. Of course, there are the legendary cowboys and Indians, but also the tarot readers, massage therapists, reflexologists, and the horticulturists. There are busy auto mechanics, several lawn services, and the town hayer. Then, there are the underserved, those who choose drugs and alcohol as a lifestyle as well as the hard-working business owners and ranchers. There are several published writers and an array of exceptionally talented artists and musicians who embrace the culture and let their creative side shine.

Even with the small and diverse population that reside in this unique setting, community is of the utmost importance. One can be a known drug user, a teacher, a nurse, or a butcher and their place is somehow harmoniously occupied as an official Hot Springs participant.  Life here is celebrated in cattle brandings, the rodeo, Homesteaders Days, art exhibits, the blues festival, street parties put on by bikers, and the Chinese New Year parade.  Musical entertainment is a regularity at the various bars and Symes Hotel. From the ladies who enjoy Tipsy Tuesdays to the families that gather at the sports events to cheer their team on, this is one of the most social towns I have experienced.  They even have an event where you can sing Christmas carols on horseback through the town.

Along Main Street which is a long block are the main businesses. Being twenty miles from the nearest town (which is a long winding two lane highway through the mountains), Hot Springs has found a way to be sustainable. Due to the lack of reception, AT & T is our only mobile provider. We have our own telephone company which supplies all the internet and land lines. There is Buck’s grocery where everyone knows your name.... really, and Gambles across the street...the same. There is an organic food store with a small café and home cooked meals, and Fergie’s pub, another eatery. We have two bars and a small fitness center. In the building with the fitness center is our local hairdresser, Deana, and a coffee shop, The Coffee Hound.  Nestled between the Montana Bar and Fergie’s Pub is the Hot Springs Family Medicine Clinic, the only medical clinic within twenty miles. This is where I become part of story.

In 2017, I was hired to serve as the main medical provider in the Hot Springs Family Medicine Clinic. I am a Nurse Practitioner and with Dr. Drye who works part time six months out of the year, we provide medical care to our little community.

I am Pam Vecchio and this is my story of how I awakened the gift within. 

Introduction

Iwrite with the intention to inspire others to discover their truest potential and find the courage to heal. I believe in world healing, and we can affect others around us by encouraging them to heal as well. I hope to help others recognize their dreams and through these discover the many possibilities that are available to make them come true. This would be my hope to allow us to achieve a phenomenon greater than we know now. 

Me

Presently I feel I am living the proverbial dream. There are days when I wake up, look out my window, and feel the need to pinch myself. It is then I am reminded what an incredibly beautiful life I am living. The windows of my bedroom are precisely situated above my horse's corrals. Besides my golden retrievers lying on the bed next to me, my horses are the first ones I wake up to and the last ones as I go to sleep.

When I awake and frequently during the day, I gaze out the french doors of my home. It is there where I see the ever-changing mountains with storm clouds, colors, sunsets and a view that can only be captured by those who chose to witness it.  From the full moon rising in the east, to the stars twinkling in the sky at night, I love my home in Montana. I have friends, activities, and most of all a beautiful place for all my four-legged ‘s to thrive (to include my love birds).

I am in the sixth decade of my life. I have memories of times today that may seem obsolete, but they were an intricate and formative part of my personal development.  As both the world progressed and changed, I as well as everyone else was challenged to mature and change with it. In this process, I have learned to leave behind what was to accept what is. I learned to integrate the past with the present to remain whole. I also learned from a young age change is a constant and my survival was based on the ability to perceive what felt safe amidst the chaos.

I remember our first color TV at the young age of six. My siblings and I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in color. I had go-go boots that danced to Herb Alfred and the Tijuana Brass until there were many black streaks in the white tiles of our basement floor. Infatuated, I worked hard to stay awake to witness the Beatles sing with their long hair on the Ed Sullivan show.

I also recall the darkness and silence of a world with heavy hearts as the Pope, Martin Luther King, and Senator Robert Kennedy were assassinated. I never could understand why people would go to such extremes to have these wonderful people removed from our world.

Leave it to Beaver and Andy Griffin of Mayberry were the lifestyles modeled in my childhood. Dad went to work, and mom stayed home with the kids. Mom cooked and cleaned, while dad brought home the money and fixed things. This was not questioned in my house.

I lived the revolution of the Vietnam War with all the anger and controversy that birthed the next generation of hippies and free spirits, breaking the mold