A Life Awakening: Moving On from Memories Past. Ethan Elliot series, Book Two

By Ryan Stevenson

In the second of the Ethan Elliot Series books, the author, Ryan Stevenson, unravels the events in Ethan's life that caused him to leave his home in New York and head to San Antonio to start life anew, as he did in Book One. In Book Two, William steps aside while Ethan relives his past relationship with Jennifer, along with its highs and lows, but all the while under William's watchful eye. As Ethan introduces us to a cast of new characters, we will begin to understand Ethan's motivations in wanting to see his relationship with Jennifer succeed, as well as those factors that finally ended it. At the same time, Ethan will find a new, unexpected, direction his life is about to take.
No doubt many who read these pages have experienced similar new beginnings as well as endings in relationships. However, if you listen to the whispers from within, you will find that in time the emotional pain begins to fade, giving you the freedom to explore the many options that we all have available in this life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryan Stevenson
• Release date: Dec 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310326011

Ryan Stevenson

Ryan Stevenson is the Grammy-nominated recording artist and songwriter behind hit Christian music songs such as “Eye of the Storm” and “Speak Life.” Raised in rural southern Oregon, he worked as a paramedic before his music career took off. He now lives in Nashville with his wife and children.

Book preview

PREFACE

The first book in this three-part series, Whispers from Within, allowed the reader to relive a difficult two-year period in the life of its main character, Ethan Elliot. William, Ethan's spirit guide, could offer him only options to choose from, and perhaps the understanding that nothing in his life is ever set in stone. It is his free will that moves Ethan’s life off its destined course, and it is through failure that he eventually realizes that life never was meant to be as complicated as he, at times, seemed to make it.

In the second book of the series, Moving On From Memories Past, William steps aside and allows Ethan to tell his own story as he reflects on the past and examines his long relationship with Jennifer. In the end and on balance, Ethan is able to understand that life and expectations are always moved by events that shape our lives, along with a little help from above.

Ethan's dreams and desires are similar to our own, with preconceived fears of failure. Many of us also have lived through the heartbreak of a love lost, and dreams that ended in abject disappointment. To all who may come across this story, know that your life and belief systems are always being tested. No one ever said life would be easy, but the life your soul chose to live can be magical, if only you listen to those whispers from within.

Chapter 1

Picking up the Pieces

Much has taken place in Ethan's life since his best friend, Mark, dropped the proverbial bombshell about Ethan's former girlfriend having lost her life in an auto accident. Ethan now was beyond wondering why events in our lives happen, and was beginning to accept the reality that it was now time to move on. Yet Ethan is one of the more sensitive souls of the Zodiac, who always has had difficulty in letting those memories of his relationship fade from his daily life.

Spirit guides always have the luxury of being able to take a back seat when it comes to the life we've been charged in overseeing. As Ethan's spirit guide, not even my whispers could change or diminish his thoughts regarding what might have been. This was one of life's lessons that Ethan himself would have to deal with. Considering the information overload that Ethan was experiencing, I knew it was better simply to leave him alone with his own thoughts and the flood of emotions he was experiencing. It's always better to allow the individual time enough to come to grips with his feelings, and at this point, an intervention wasn't what the doctor ordered. Yes, there was an important lesson to be learned.

It was a Saturday morning and Ethan had the day off from the hustle and bustle of the restaurant where he worked with Jackie and James. It was now 7 a.m. Ethan was having a hard time even wanting to get out of bed, but soldier on he did, as he went through his morning routine. There were so many disjointed thoughts going through his head; he thought it just might be the perfect time to be still, while coming to grips as to where his life would now take him.

After pouring himself a cup of coffee, Ethan finally pulled himself together and sat peering out of his kitchen window. It was a rainy day in San Antonio, with faint rumbles of thunder in the background. Ethan watched the drops of rain gently slide down his window, as he began to recall memories of days in his relationship now long past. It was now two years since he had left New York. With each raindrop that fell, he couldn't help but recall the wonderful moments he had had with the girl he had planned to spend his life with.

So this is my life now, Ethan thought. A life without Jennifer.

Yet, what I do have is a lifetime of memories, great memories of both the good times, and even those times when we may have had our disagreements. But at least they’re mine, and perhaps now maybe I can make some sense as to why she left me. I only can imagine how things might have turned out differently had I stayed in New York. Might Jennifer still have been alive today? Might we have been able to get back together and work out our differences?

I guess no one really knows what might have been, and life does keep moving us forward. I'm not sure why I find myself dwelling on the past, but I can't seem to get out of my mind the great times we had together.

***

Chapter 2

Thoughts of Times Past

Meeting Jennifer was like a dream come true. I can clearly remember what some of my friends back in New York had said to me when they had met what they believed was the love of their life. They used to say it was like synchronicity, with everything just falling into place at the right moment. And in a way, that's how I felt in meeting Jennifer for the first time.

I was working at a local restaurant called The Hot Spot. It was one of those places that took on a life of its own, with a complement of everything from high net-worth business types to your average everyday walk-ins. The tables were fairly large, compared to those in most restaurants, as many customers would open their laptops and spreadsheets, hoping to get last minute preparations completed before a needed presentation was to be made back at their offices and board rooms.

During the lunch hour the crush of people on an average day was comparable to a tidal wave of human flesh pouring through the front doors. You just knew who was well-to-do, as the men wore their Armani and Brooks Brothers suits; the women, many of whom could well have been Vanity Fair models, definitely were not wearing something pulled from the racks at Walmart or T.J. Maxx.

The bar area was always busy during the lunch and dinner hours; and I could always sense that most of the men and women there were throwing back drinks in the hope of calming their nerves before some type of presentation they had to make later that afternoon. Then, during the evening pile-in, you could tell from their facial expressions who had slayed the dragon and who had had less than a stellar day. They would come off more as a beaten-down dog with its tail between its legs.

One particular day I had arrived early, as I had to help my floor manager set up for a large dinner party that was arriving later in the day. I didn't mind coming in early, as it always equated to a few extra dollars in my paycheck at the end of the week. I was tired that day, having worked until closing the night before; but for some reason a feeling came over me which, to this very day, I just can't explain. I knew something was in the air—you know, that feeling you get of either impending doom or that that of imminent good fortune. That kind of strange, yet palpable feeling that you just couldn’t put your finger on.

Just like clock work, as if some factory whistle had just blown, the throngs began to arrive. I was lucky that day, as my manager, taking pity on me because I had worked late the night before, gave me only three booths to handle. What a relief that was! As the regulars hit the bar and then waited to be called to their tables, the host gestured to me that he had just seated a single at one of my booths, and indicated that she was a real looker, if you know what I mean.

***

Chapter 3

When Worlds Collide

I grabbed a menu and a wine list as I approached the young woman's table. Before I could greet the new customer, she held one finger up to signal me to wait until she finished the conversation she was having on her Blackberry, never missing a word, and never taking her eyes off the papers scattered all over the table. I saw she was obviously busy, so I just left the menus on the table. As I began to walk away, she paused and said, Just give me a minute, still never once taking her eyes off her work.

I gave her several minutes, as I had other customers now to attend to as well. Then I glanced at her table and noticed she was looking for something or someone. Perhaps it was me, so I walked over and introduced myself.

Hi, my name is Ethan. Have you had a chance yet to decide what you might like today?

She paused for a moment, then replied, I think I'll just have the house salad and a white wine spritzer.

Very well, I replied, and after taking the order, I began walking away, thinking, What a great pair of legs!

After attending to my other tables I noticed the young woman's salad was ready, and all I had left to do was to wade past the bar patrons and grab her drink. Honestly, lunchtime at the Hot Spot was more like a war zone, with bodies everywhere, and navigating the minefield of people and brief cases was a job in itself. When I arrived at the table, the customer was still yakking on the phone, so I simply cleared a space and set the salad down along with her drink, and with my head canted downward, tried asking if there was anything else she might require.

Not missing a beat in her ongoing conversation, she shook her head no, so I proceeded to take care of my other tables.

She must have been new to the area, as I hadn't noticed her before, and after about 15 minutes I approached her table again to see how she was doing. I noticed the salad was only half eaten, and the wine was hardly touched.

Is everything all right? I queried.

She looked up and said, Yes, everything is just great. May I have the check please—I have to run to an appointment that I'm already late for.

I proceeded to remove her plate and asked if she wanted any more of her cocktail, and without hesitating, she picked up the glass and downed every last drop.

I told her I would drop off her glass and plate and be right back with the check. When I returned, she had already packed up her belongings and was nervously watching the time on her watch, obviously very much in a hurry to get a move on. I handed her the check, and the minute she received it she was on her way to the cashier and out the front door.

I've often wondered about the business types who never seem to have any time to enjoy themselves, running from meeting to meeting. Eating on the fly, and always in haste. Not my idea of how to live, but to each their own.

***

Chapter