HOME > About LifeForce > Articles

To Honor my mother, Jean Stuve

By Kate Stuve

 

 

It’s been one year now since my mother passed on.

I think of her everyday and every day I am reminded of all the wonderful contributions she made to both my life and to the people of Fort McMurray as the founder of the LifeForce Herbal Healing Center.  She has left us all with many good memories of her love.

 

Jean Stuve was born May 29, 1925 and passed on in August 2005. She was truly one of the most kind and spiritual people you could meet. You could always go to her for advice and know that her words of wisdom never came from judgement because she never “judged”. Instead her advice came from the deep knowledge within her should and in her thoughts.

Jean and her son Douglas (my brother) opened their first healing business together in Fort McMurray in 1986. At that time LifeForce Health Book Store was the place where you could take a course on healing your inner child (facilitated by Douglas Stuve).  Much of the work from in the course was influenced by Louise Hay You can Heal your Life (Hay House Inc. 1984).

 

Jean was a pioneer in the healing world in Fort McMurray and she simply loved the business. She truly cared about helping people whether through herbal medicines, books, tapes, self help courses, energy work and her absolute favourite... crystals, rocks and gemstones. These were her true love.

 

In the early years of the store she initiated many projects working with people in the community to introduce love, light and healing into the city. She was the first to have healing circles, meditations, psychics, tarot card readers and all kinds of spiritual workers come into her store (into Fort McMurray actually!)

 

In the late 1980’s it was unusual to have psychics, meditations, energy work or self help techniques available so a lot of people were frightened because they thought we were a “cult”.

 

It took great courage and many tears for her to continue on this journey as some people here thought her work was unconventional and wanted to have business shut down. Those times were difficult for her because when your intention is to be kind and loving it is hard to rise about the pain of not being accepted, have the courage to believe in yourself and stay on your path – yet Jean always did. She created, not just a business, but a way of life that touched so many lives and made people strive to be better.

 

We held many prayers and meditations together for a variety of people – children, parents, people in trouble, people who were sick, families who had lost a child... I could go on forever. My mother was always sending light and love.

She walked her talk. Jean held steady through everything and created a business that is still going today. She had a dream. She was always working to make it better.

 

Her great love was her crystals and she has them everywhere – in her garden, windows, under the pillow, in the store’s till or in her pocket. I will always remember her constant amazement in their beauty and the rainbows in her kitchen where the sun shone on them. She would twirl around her kitchen like a small child in her happiness at the wonder of it all.

I just have so many good memories of my mother. She was so excited about life and her belief in God and the Universe (which she surrounded herself with) never swayed.

 

She taught us all so much. “Let go and let God” or “Everything I need to know will be revealed to me”. That is the kind of advice my mother would give me and others. And it always helped.

 

When she left this world it was painful, sad and unbearable for me but the kind of love Jean has is always around. I see it in every crystal, book, rock and remedy in our store. Her beautiful energy and essence is always around. It makes up the very fabric of our store.

 

I miss her a lot but I know that she is always with me in spirit. I can hear her infectious laughter and I feel her beautiful spirit often. I feel her whisper of energy. I feel her LOVE. Thank-you, Mom.

Kate is Jean Stuve’s daughter and the owner of LifeForce herbal Healing Centre in Fort McMurray, AB