Bear Woznick - Deep in the Wave: A Surfing Guide to the Soul

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Copyright 2012 by Bear Woznick and Lou Aronica

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations noted NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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ISBN 978-1-4555-0647-7

To my four children, Fawn, Jeremiah, Shane, and Josh, as well as for those two who await my first kiss in heaven.

To my parents, Greg and Mereece Woznick.

To my beautiful bride, Talin Heurlin Woznick.

I want to thank songwriter and author Melody Green. I took her out surfing many years ago and as we paddled back in, she told me that I had to write a book about what I had been sharing with her in the water. Mahalo to my author friend Anthony Destefano, who first scanned the pages of my manuscript and who greatly encouraged me. I want to thank my literary manager, Peter Miller; and my personal editor, mentor, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lou Aronica. He never gave up on me. I want to thank Kate Hartson at Center Street, who believed in me and this book.

I want to thank my parents, Greg and Mereece Woznick, who themselves penned beautiful, inspirational words. My mom laughed through my reading of the first chapter of the very serious western I had tried to write thirty years ago; she thought I was trying to be funny. Well now we can both laugh, Mom. I love you both.

Mahalo to the community at the Benedictine Monastery, some of whom I have had a relationship with for more than thirty-five years. They provided a quiet place for me to pray and to seek the Lords leading as this venture began, and they provided prayer cover for me all along the journey. While on private retreat at the Benedictine Monastery, I sensed the Holy Spirit breathe into my heart, Follow the ancient path. This book is not based on the latest pop culture or pop theology. It is based on the writings of the ancient mystics of the Old and New Testaments as well as St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Bernard de Clairveux, and John Paul II. My book follows the pattern of the stages of intimacy with God that they have shared with us. I hope I was faithful in sharing their ancient way and hope to be faithful to them as I continue my soul surfari.

I want to thank the people of Hawaii, especially of the island of Molokai, and the Waikiki beach boys who showed me the way of Aloha. I want to give a shout-out to Marlene, Janice, and Miki at the Pacific Beach Aloha Center Caf for the gallons of caffeinated inspiration they provided me on those early mornings. Mahalo to Brian and the crew at the back deck of the Moana, who encouraged me as I wrote under the same Banyan tree that Hemingway, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London enjoyed. Mahalo to John and the crew at the Kale Hoa Oasis, which I call Shangri-la because there in the late afternoons I had my Arthuro Fuente cigars only feet from the beach and wrote into the sunset. I have to thank our many visitors to the islands whose buzz of joyful voices in the background as I wrote lifted me, energized me, and carried me along like so many waves.

Mahalo to Chuck Inman, my personal fitness trainer, who processed with me a lot of the thoughts in these pages between bench presses, and my son Shane Woznick, who joined me every morning at six a.m. for coffee, and whose filmmaking has helped to further this overall project.

I want to thank my beautiful Swedish bride, Talin Heurlin Woznick. We traveled the world for months after we were first married while waiting for her marriage visa approval. This book began just as we began our marriage as we journeyed through Thailand, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, and Italy, and finally to the shores of Waikiki. Writing this book was literally a journey and all along Talin was my constant companion and encourager. Better yet, from time to time, she would draw me away from my efforts to go for a tandem surf.

Mahalo to soul surfers everywhere, whether you ride ocean waves or not.

Mahalo to the Holy Spirit, for He sent me the waves of His Spirit that I felt carry me every step of the way as I sought to flow with Him. Faithful is He who calls you. For He will do it.

Aloha Ke Akua Hoomaikai.

May the breath of God be with you.

Bear Craig William Woznick

Dad!

My oldest of three sons was on the phone. His excitement flooded me like a big wave. Yeah, Jeremiah?

The surfs up! Its big! The biggest surf I have ever seen! Too big to paddle into. Crazy Todd is taking me out so he can tow me in with his Jet Ski.

Youre ready for it. Where are you?

Haleiwa Harbor.

This is what you were made for, son. Go for it.

Aloha, Dad. I love you.

I love you, Jeremiah. Aloha.

I knew Jeremiah was in Gods hands. I kept my responses to him brief for a reason. If we talked longer, he would sense my tension. At times like this, not saying anything is the best way to stay in a place of faith and grace. My son didnt need to know how nervous I was before he challenged waves of this magnitude.

One of my favorite lines from my favorite film Big Wednesday is, The truth is that in big surf you are always alone. You cannot rely on anyone but yourself. I have experienced this stark truth many times. The waves and currents can separate you from everyone and everything. Its a solitary time when you can rely only on your physical, mental, and emotional strengthand your faith in God.

The last word we said to each other was aloha. To Hawaiians, that word is full of meaning. Ha means breath, and aloha literally means to give breath. In big surf, breath can become a precious commodity. Some big wave surfers even carry ten-minute oxygen tanks in case of a long hold-down underwater. Though Jeremiah would desperately need a tank this day, he did not have one.

Aloha also means love, hello, and good-bye. I swallowed hard, as I thought about this, hoping this was not the last time Id hear my son say, Aloha, Dad. I love you. I wanted to tell him to be careful, but I bit my tongue, knowing that he didnt need to deal with my being overly concerned for his safety.