Greetings Family!
Healing House is here!
THE BACK STORY
Late one night, when I was 11 years old, the doorbell rang at close to midnight. We had a house rule that after 9:00 p.m., we didn’t answer the door; that was Daddy’s job. But that didn’t stop us all from gathering to see who it was. So we followed Daddy like a trail of ants after a cookie.
He answered the door, and it was my sister’s friend NJ. She was crying profusely. She and her parents had fought, and she had run away. She begged my parents to let her stay. They kind of looked at my sister Gypsy because, after all, it was her friend. Gypsy nodded her approval, and Mother wrapped NJ into her arms and we all filed back upstairs.
Mother told NJ, “Give me your number so I can call your parents.”
She cried, “Oh, no! If you call them, they’ll come get me.”
Mother matter-of-factly said, “No, they won’t. But I have to let your parents know where you are.”
NJ grudgingly gave her the number, not believing the power of motherhood. You see, NJ’s father was a colonel in the army, while our father was a sergeant in the Air Force. Well, Mother wasn’t in the military, so she didn’t care if he was the king of the Armed Forces! She’s the Empress in her house.
Here’s what I remember of that call:
“Hello. This is Mrs. Parhams, Gypsy’s mother.”
…
“Yes, NJ is here. She’s safe, and she can spend the night here tonight.”
…
“No, you won’t come get her tonight. You all are still upset, and that won’t solve anything. Let everyone calm down overnight, and we’ll take her home tomorrow.”
…
“You all have a good night.” And that was that! NJ was home at our house for the night.
OUR HOUSE WAS A SAFE HAVEN
That’s how I grew up. My family home was the go-to for our stressed-out friends, the place where folk came after break-ups, where, even as adults, close associates ran when life got bleak or hard to handle at home. So being a healing house is not new to my life.
My mother was a nurse—and born to it—so when people were sick, she was there to prepare food, do their hair or help them use the bathroom. Whatever was necessary, she was there for. My father was the advice guy: how to make and plan your money, how to do math (oh, we all hated to see the tablet coming out); he was a planner and invited others to do the same. My parents were quick to share what they had and do what they could to uplift our people.
When they first built their house on the Parhamarosa, my parents used to host a big ol’ family gathering every summer and invite their extended family from far and wide. People came from all over the country. Just coming together with family and celebrating life while everybody is still living is a powerful healer. Through these gatherings, the land has been prepared to receive those who need healing.
MY RETURN TO OUR HEALING LAND
Once my father made his transition, it just seemed the legacy of sharing the land should continue. It was so obvious that this land needed to be used for healing. Since I moved out to the country, where I live on acres of green land with cows and dogs, trees, bees and fresh air, a few people have come to visit and melt into healing. But D-D was the one who pointed out what a healing space this is. I know how I feel here, but I didn’t know other people felt anything special. When she came, she was battered emotionally and slept for the first two weeks she was there. When she got up, she was more energized and began her intentional journey toward wellness, both physical and emotional.
When D-D first drove in, she thought, “They bought a zoo!” Those of you who saw the movie know what I’m talking about—LoL! She saw the cows grazing and the expanse of green; and when she got to the house, our dogs greeted her dog; and she knew this was the place to heal. While she was here, she ate well, went to the chiropractor, enjoyed a sister circle and the security of a support group; received health coaching and emotional counselling; and indulged in The 5 Pillars of Self-Care, which are nutritious food, clean water, fresh air, exhilarating exercise and rejuvenating rest, all of which you do at Healing House.
HEALING HOUSE – WHERE PEOPLE GO TO HEAL
I’ve been practicing healing in different forms all my life, from coddling my big sister when she cried to learning the art of massage. When I learned about Edgar Cayce’s plans to build a wholistic hospital, I wanted one of those! I took a long route around through Black Studies, seminary, time management consulting, publishing a wholistic health magazine, teaching English, becoming ordained, pastoring a church, and caregiving to, now planning to build Healing House, where people go to heal. Though the building isn’t physically in place yet, Healing House is well underway. Our Wellness Community is the evidence. Until our physical building is here to welcome you, join our Community of practitioners here. The foundation has been laid. We’re ready for you all!
ABOUT FOUNDER Rev. Jacquetta
Rev. Jacquetta Y. Parhams is a native of Los Angeles, California, and the world, through her father’s military service. She graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a BA in English and a second degree in Black Studies & Religious Studies. She immediately entered Fuller Seminary where she earned an M.Div. in Theology with a concentration in Multicultural Ministries, followed by a Ph.D. in Metaphysics, which seeded her interest in a wholistic healing place.
In Seminary, Rev. Jacquetta served as an African Advocate on the MultiCultural Concerns Committee. She was elected Regional Vice President of the Western Region of the National Association of Black Seminarians. During her ministerial internship under Bishop Benjamin F. Reid, she received training to work with gang members.
In 1992, Rev. Jacquetta founded Efficientime Life Management (EFX), providing time management consulting. In 1995, she founded Rhythm of the Drum: Our Wholistic Magazine. She collaborated with Christ Centered Church in Prison Ministry. She also produced and hosted a Public Access television show and facilitated monthly presentations by wholistic health professionals.
In 2012 Rev. Jacquetta was ordained in the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana. As a member of the Church of God Ministries and the Interstate Association of the Church of God, Rev Jacquetta served as the first Director of the newly founded In-Service Training Institute (ISTI) West, the western extension of the ISTI, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offering leadership classes for ministers.
Rev. Jacquetta served as associate pastor at New Horizon Christian Community Church and later served as co-pastor. She began serving as pastor/teacher and produced The Whole-Self Ministries Radio Program. She later served as associate pastor at Airview Church of God, Opelika, Alabama.
Rev. Jacquetta joined a support group while serving as a caregiver to her father in 2007 in Los Angeles. She later followed her parents–after they moved to Alabama–to assist her mother with the care of her father. Since his transition, she has cared for her mother.
While caring for her mother, Rev. Jacquetta allowed the vision of Healing House to unfold. She began providing Self-Care coaching and wellness treatments for people who prefer to learn and use preventative care rather than letting medicine mask their symptoms. She taught about the efficacy of practicing the 5 Pillars of Self-Care (nutritious food, clean water, fresh air, exhilarating exercise, rejuvenating rest). Through the Healing House Community, Rev. Jacquetta works closely with alternative health practitioners and teachers of Healing Movement to assist guests in levelling up their self-care.
Rev. Jacquetta facilitates the Black Family Caregivers’ monthly support group meetings and hosts a radio program, Rev. J’s Self-Care Station, which airs Wednesdays on www.InnerLightRadio.com. You can also find her on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook, where she focuses on the healing power of self-care.