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Mountain View News Saturday, May 3, 2025


KIMBA 

YOUR 

BISCUIT-MAKING 
BESTIE! 

Kimba is a 6-year-old 
sweetheart with a heart as 
pure as his gorgeous all-white fur. 

With his big, sunny eyes and chill purr-sonality, 
he’s the perfect companion for anyone looking for a 
loving, easygoing cat. Kimba adores being with his 
human, kneading biscuits 
like a little baker, 
and soaking up all the 
cozy moments life has to offer. 

He’s a playful guy who loves his toys and enjoys 
making new feline friends. Fully vetted, neutered, 
and in perfect health, Kimba is ready to find his 
forever home. Could it be with you? 

See more of him and please fill out the application 
at https://www.lifelineforpets.org/kimba.html. 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

 [Nyerges is an educator and the author of over two dozen books including “Urban Survival 
Guide,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “Foraging Californai,” and other books. More information at 
www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

JOURNEY BEYOND DESPAIR

 
Back in the late 1970s, I met Julie Parker while working as a typesetter for 
the old Altadena Chronicle, which later became the Altadena Weekly. Julie 
was one of the writers there and I recognized her as a thinker who seemed 
ahead of her time.

 

Now, decades later, she is sharing her book about her own life. 

 

In her new memoir, where she defines herself as one of the San 
Gabriel Valley’s oldest married couples, “Journey Beyond Despair” 
addresses the question: Can mental illness be a gift to a relationship? 
The subtitle is “A memoir of Love, Psychosis, and the 
Power of Insight. The memoir represents a startling voice which 
offers hope to sufferers and their families and support teams.

 

As I read through the book, I found a compelling story and lots of 
solutions. The book is Julie Parker describes her book as “a true 
story of two lovers pitted against a deadly enemy, Journey Beyond 
Despair, a Memoir of Love, Psychosis and the Power of Insight, 
introduces Julie, the quixotic author, whose conflict between lofty 
ideals and earthly reality results in mental illness. The book opens 
in 1960 as Peter delivers Julie, his terrified wife to a Chicago psychiatric 
hospital, then returns home to pick up the pieces with 
three tiny daughters. Julie has been his sweetheart from college days, idealizing his grounded 
maturity.”

 

It's great reading, and by reading the table of contents alone, you’ll see the path of her life. 

As Julie slowly recovers, the saga follows her 36 year resolve to outwit this illness. She writes, 
“Determination to become the dependable partner Peter and the family deserve rouses her 
greatest fear: intimacy. She soars into escapist projects each time the family transfers to new 
territory, then relapses. Fear of losing all she cherishes drives the author to search to the core 
of her own flawed nature. Peter supports this inward battle, but when the quest swallows his 
mate into Eastern philosophy, it is too much for him. The two lovers despair. At the defining 
moment, however, Julie’s insight and Peter’s selflessness combine to spark a stunning twist 
neither foresees. Together, the two ‘crack the code’ of mental illness, showing its healing 
potential and lifting Julie’s search for meaning to the realm of mythic/heroic journey.”

In discussing this book, Julie told me, “Beyond despair lies transformative healing; that has 
been my experience. I want to encourage sufferers to frame their lives as journeys with a 
beautiful end goal, not a chronic disorder requiring the right diagnosis and medication. 
These can surely help, but my particular healing followed a definite 12 stage 'mythic journey' 
(I realized, later) as outlined in Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey (the bible for 
screen writers hoping to get into film.) Vogler based his book upon Joseph Campbell's The 
Hero with a Thousand Faces. I'd like to give workshops on this subject: Framing one's life 
as a heroic/mythic journey.” Indeed! I’d love to attend such a workshop.

Parker points out that mental illness symptoms are surging today, as there is a reliance on 
diagnosis and medication. Her mission with this book is show the insight of the sufferer, 
which is often ignored. Also important is a devoted support team. Parker makes a case for 
the small, psychiatric hospitals that have all but vanished today in favor of drugs and “72 
hour holds” that send deeply disturbed patients back into society instead of giving them a 
place apart and time to slowly recuperate. 

“Journey Beyond Despair” is a thoughtful book where Parker shares her most personal issues, 
in a way that makes you think. I never knew any of this when I worked with Parker in 
the 1970s, but reading it today makes me realize that you can never know what another is 
experiencing, and one should always do their best to be kind to everyone.

Julie and Peter, now aged ninety-two and 
ninety-four, are on a mission to share 
their message with hospitals, counseling 
centers, book clubs, libraires, book stores 
and church groups. Journey Beyond Despair 
could even be of interest to college 
psychology classes as one unusual case 
study.

A graduate of Middlebury College and 
the University of Paris in 1954, Julie 
taught French and led yoga sessions for 
40 years. She also has an M.A. in Marriage, 
Family Therapy, 1992, and created a 
teen relationships program for thousands 
in Pasadena, California’s public schools 
from 1997 to 2006. She can be reached 
by email at julieparkerbonjour@gmail.
com or her website, almost complete, juliehowardparker.
com.

 

“Journey Beyond Despair” is now available 
on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and 
can also be ordered from bookstores and 
libraries.


Pet of the Week


Ellie is a 1-year-old pit bull mix with a sweet, 
affectionate personality. She’s playful, gentle, 
and she knows how to match her energy to her 
playmates, always keeping things fun but never too 
rough. Her patient, loving nature truly shines in a 
family environment.

While Ellie adores people, she can be a bit 
unsure around other animals at first. With slow 
introductions, she learns to feel more at ease. She’d 
do best in a home where she can be the center 
of attention or with a calm pet companion who 
respects her space.

Ellie enjoys her quiet moments just as much as 
playtime. She loves cuddling with a stuffed toy or 
chewing on a bully stick to relax. Her favorite treat 
is frozen pumpkin puree on a lick pad, which keeps 
her happy and mentally stimulated.

Full of personality and eager to connect, Ellie is a 
loving pup who thrives on human interaction. If 
you're looking for a cuddly, kid-friendly companion 
with a playful spark, Ellie could be the perfect fit 
for your home.

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog 
adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and 
age-appropriate vaccines. Walk-in adoptions are 
available every day from 10:00 – 5:00. View photos 
of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet. 

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com