By Andreas Hummel
During my Process, I made a public declaration at our graduation to visit my mother, who had shunned me for 18 years, bring her flowers, and tell her I LOVE her.
At the two-month mark, on 4/1/15, I did exactly that – I showed up at her door unannounced and did it. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
She raged, screamed, and was beside herself with anger. She demanded I leave her house at once. At one point, I was sure she was about to spit in my face. I was shaking down to my core. But I stood firm and kept saying “Mom, I love you no matter what.” No matter what obscenity she screamed, I held on to the only mantra I could find – Mom I love you.
I left her flowers, a card, and the letter of appreciation I had written her while I was at Hoffman and quickly exited her home. The entire episode took less than 3 minutes. And then I was back in my car, shaken down to my core, trembling inside, and I began to sob those tears that only come from a lifetime of pain.
To be perfectly clear here, the outcome was not what I had hoped for, but that is beside the point.
The point is I did what I said I was going to do, and I stood for the universal principal of Love that I learned at Hoffman. As I looked deep into her face while she raged on me, I could see the broken woman she was. I could feel her deep, immeasurable pain that she had chosen to imprison herself with.
At that moment, I was able to have empathy and compassion, and was able to hold a space of love for her no matter what. I knew, going into the scene with her, that no matter what she said, no matter what she did, that my love for her was NOT DEPENDENT on how she felt about me. I finally realized that I AM the LOVE, and that I can BE the LOVE, at all times and under all circumstances. This exercise, despite the outcome, actually helped me profoundly. My sense of worth was no longer dependent upon my mother’s opinion or approval of me.
At that moment in time, I had truly been set free, and my Hoffman Process was now complete.
At the four-month mark, my brother, who was the one who enrolled me in Hoffman, called to say he had terminal cancer and was given only a few months to live.
I drove to Las Vegas, to be by my brother’s side as he lay in intensive care after emergency surgery, and stayed with him for most of the next two months, May and June. I reached out to one of my classmates while I was there, and he was a lifesaver for me. I was in a dark place at that exact moment in time, and he made time for me. Thank you, Bill!
If you ever wondered if God has a sense of humor, wonder no more. Because while I visited my brother in intensive care, guess who else had to be there? My mother – the same one who just 60 days earlier raged on me because I went to tell her I loved her.
OMG, if there was ever such a thing as guardian angels, I’m sure that they were just rolling over. The irony of it all!
Ultimately, I took daily care of my brother, while my mother, who was still hostile toward me, couldn’t help but notice my service to her other son, the one she so dearly loved.
After a few weeks of watching me, my mother finally capitulated, broke down, and apologized for shunning me for the last 18 years. While it wasn’t easy, my mother was finally able to let go of the long-standing resentment she had toward me. Once I found out what it was, I was able to resolve it, and then, bingo, the magic happened, and our relationship went back to normal, as though the shunning of the last 18 years had never happened. It was nothing short of a true miracle. I know my guardian angels were smiling.
Since that time, I have begun an epic journey of becoming a permanent traveler. I put all my personal belongings in storage, gave up my residence in southern California, and have begun an epic journey of traveling across America. In a few weeks, I’ll be in New York City, then Toronto, and then New Zealand and Australia. And if the facts be known, I’m happier now, and feel more love than ever before.
In order for us to see up, we have to see down. To know pleasure, we need to know pain. To know cheerfulness, we need to know despair – that’s the journey of life: to compare and contrast so we can appreciate it all.
Thank you, everyone, for loving me when I couldn’t love myself.
Jenny Wade
05/08/16 at 9:39 AM
Wonderful story of the power of love, which is also the power of courage. What a cauldron of testing for the Hoffman process–and how beautifully you shone through. And the courage of your trip: I love it! When it seems right, I hope you will let us know about your travels.
Lisa Zahn
01/19/16 at 10:22 AM
Wow! These Hoffman blog stories are so powerful and yours is amazing to me. What courage you had! Your spiritual self was definitely at work here! Thank you for sharing this testament to love; we all know how hard it is to break those patterns and be vulnerable. You’ve done one of the hardest things ever! And I’m so glad it ended up working out.
Anna Wilson
11/03/15 at 5:25 PM
Andreas….this is a powerful story. Thank you for sharing. I hope your travels are magical and amazing. I am a Hoffman graduate since 1999 and a singer/songwriter. I have song I wrote and sing that I think you might relate to as you embrace your permanent traveling, especially since you are from SoCal:) The song is partially set there so you may find some solace and common experience with the words. It’s a song called “I’m Not Defeated” and is on my first record which is called “The Long Way”. The entire record is all about the journey and traveling but “I’m Not Defeated” specifically seems like a song you should hear based on your personal story that you have shared here. Perhaps it might be a nice traveling companion and let you know you are not alone! It is easily downloadable at iTunes. xoxo, Anna
Andreas
11/17/15 at 9:01 AM
Hi Anna…thank u for your kind response. I would love to hear your song. Is there any way u can share it with me?…I’d love to hear it. Thank you for reaching out. Andreas
Isabela Harb
11/03/15 at 2:15 PM
Thank you for sharing ! There is a beautiful history about love and compassion. Happy with you my hoffman brother.
Christine Falcon-Daigle
10/26/15 at 12:42 PM
Andreas! I cried through the entire story! This is so deeply touching and I am so happy for you! Blessings on the journey ahead. May you spread love and light all over the world.
Andreas
11/17/15 at 9:03 AM
Hi Christine….thank you Love. Andreas
Marianne
10/17/15 at 9:00 PM
Thank you for sharing! It is so nice to hear Hoffman spoken! Spread your love around the world!
Freddie Camozzi
10/16/15 at 12:33 PM
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone …
–from the song, “What the World Needs Now” by Jackie DeShannon
koreen
10/16/15 at 10:08 AM
i could barely read thru my tears…beyond happy for you!