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A retired Business Manager Bob has been studying these principles for over 40 years. He is 89 years old and still attends classes. Bob also helps with chores around the building in Southern California whenever he is up to it.
Interviewer: How did you first meet Vernon Howard?
Bob: I met Vernon in 1962 when I was living in Pasadena, California and Vernon was living nearby, in Highland Park. I feel very happy about those circumstances. It was just Vernon Howard then; New Life came later.
I was amazed at his friendly attitude toward me. He was actually helping me a lot because I had just gotten divorced after a 20 year marriage, with children. That was a real mental shakeup for me, and Vernon came into my life at just the right time.
 Interviewer: How did he help you?
Bob: He was so good at explaining situations and putting me at ease. Over a period of time, he started inviting me over to his house for informal visits. I remember calling him sometimes in the late afternoon, asking what he was up to. He’d say, “Well, I worked on my writings today. Now I’m just relaxing here. You can come on over if you want.”
I went over to his house many times. He sat there and talked to me, and he was so interested in helping me get onto a right train of thought, toward my situation and toward life in general. He told me his philosophy about life.
We used to discuss his work and what he did, and he would say, “I do some writing, and occasionally I go to another city and give a few talks.” He was very modest about it all. I remember sometimes he had to fly to that city; it was so far away. And he always spoke at someone’s invitation. He wasn’t actively trying to put out his message then. He waited for people to invite him to come and speak. He was glad to be invited and to give out this wonderful and helpful information.
I hadn’t known Vernon more than a few months when he mentioned, “I would like to give a few classes.” He needed a place to hold a class, and I said, “Fine, come over to my apartment and give them there.” I helped him advertise for people to come to the meetings. They were held once a week, on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Anywhere from six to twelve people came to those very first meetings. Several people came repeatedly, again and again. That was a very enjoyable part of my life. These classes were the beginning.
Sometime in the mid 1960’s, Vernon told me, “Since I’m a writer, I don’t have to live in any one place in particular. I’ve been looking at some smaller towns outside of Los Angeles to make my home.” He decided to relocate to Boulder City, Nevada. It was a small town at that time and to him it seemed like a good place to start his work and to see if he could establish some classes there. So there he moved. Before he moved, I helped him paint his house to sell it, which was fun.
Interviewer: What happened in your life that made you begin looking for answers elsewhere?
Bob: The divorce I went through had been so painful. After meeting him, I felt so much better about my life by just talking with the man. When we met and talked, he really elevated my spirit. I got terrific inspiration from just listening to him. He had such insight into everything in life. His books reveal that.
As we read his books, he talks about situations that happen to every one of us. He has so much understanding and his writings touch on every conceivable life problem. Vernon knew people have these problems, and he knew the exact answer to them.
That’s why I’m so into three books that I always recommend. Just go through The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power, The Power of Your Supermind, or Pathways to Perfect Living and you’re going to find the answer to every problem you’ve ever had. These three books are the ones that answered my personal questions. I love those books, and I’ve practically worn out my older versions of them.
Also, in those first books, Vernon at times would hand-write a personal message to the buyer. In some of mine he wrote in pen, “The greatest discovery on earth is the personal discovery of the New Life,” which he put in capital letters. He wrote, “May this book perform miracles for you,” “It is the Truth which sets us free,” “When we are ready, so is the answer,” and he usually added, “Kindest thoughts from the author,” or, “Best wishes from the author, V.H.”
Interviewer: So you attended Vernon Howard’s Boulder City classes from very early on?
Bob: We started out in Boulder City by just meeting in people’s houses. I used to drag around five folding chairs in the trunk of my car, so people would have a place to sit. I still have those chairs today, and still use them, more than 30 years later. We used them during this year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena, when I sat on Colorado Boulevard with some other New Life students watching the parade.
In Boulder City many years later, I remember many students helping to build the building there. Once the facility was completed, we started having banquets there every month. We had wonderful times there. His talks were the greatest.
Interviewer: Tell us more about the early days of Vernon Howard.
Bob: What strikes me the most is remembering some of the first students who became attracted to his work. I especially remember Sally Forrest as a very early student and how she has done so much to help New Life classes and activities to get going and to continue.
I also remember when Richard Wooldridge came along, as he relieved Mr. Howard of many of the day-to-day tasks that were necessary to run the Boulder City classes and building. Richard became a tremendous help to Vernon. I appreciated Richard informing me whenever a new book or tape came out and I quickly added them to my collection.
It was great to see the early students express so much enthusiasm for the teachings. And that made the Work flourish. And then it was good to see that enthusiasm passed on to other new students.
Interviewer: What did you see in yourself or in the world that made you turn toward truth?
Bob: I saw that my life hadn’t gone in the direction I had
wanted it to. I began to see the truth that Vernon expounded was a code of ethics I could use for the rest of my life. I love what Vernon says. It all means so much to me. The words he’s written and spoken, we are very fortunate to have all the information that we do. These things are not replaceable. I’m glad he had the foresight to record the classes. With him gone, we still have his spirit with us. Everything we can see and hear visually is good for us. The words are still coming straight from him to us.
I was with Vernon early enough to see him transform from writing his first books, which dealt more or less with how to be a success in life, to the books he started writing after he had awakened. I saw him go through the transition, and it was really a renaissance.
I look at our class now, and I see speakers who never met Vernon and never knew him personally. But Vernon has given us so much truth that from studying the teachings and reading the writings, their lives have changed, all by what Vernon left us. To me that’s amazing.
Interviewer: What makes New Life and Vernon Howard different?
Bob: Vernon Howard found the way of life we ought to live. So many other teachers and writings, they seem to compromise with life. Vernon never compromised. He told the truth as it is, and that’s the unadulterated truth. I love the fact that everything you read and hear from him is the truth, the pure truth.
There’s no wish to distort or dilute it with ideas that some other writers throw in to try to ease the conscience of the reader. Whatever Vernon said and whatever he wrote is exactly what you and I need. If you want to change your life, all you need to do is read his material, listen to the talks, and attend classes. It really is that simple.
Interviewer: How has your life changed since coming to classes?
Bob: It’s made living so much easier. I know my life without the classes would be pretty miserable. It would be much more negative than the way it’s going now. I’d be lost without this Work. It’s the only thing in life that makes sense to me.
These classes are the greatest thing. I’m able to make two classes a week and they’re what I’m living for right now. There’s so much information. And I love listening to all of the speakers. We get a rebirth of higher facts presented to us by our qualified speakers. I also believe that the New Life banquets are great fun and very enjoyable.
Interviewer: What are some of your favorite things you have heard Vernon Howard say?
Bob: I enjoyed his answer when he was asked how he started this great search. He said he told himself early on, “There must be a better way to live, and I’m going to find it.” And he did.
I like his words, “Know when you get home and unlock your front door and enter your home.” “Most of us are asleep in life, and these exercises help to awaken us. We can do it. We must wake up.” “Don’t wander from the safety zone of now.” “During your day, observe how your mind slips backward to yesterday and forward to tomorrow. Catch it and pull it back to where it belongs, in the here and now.” “Interrupt your mechanical thinking and come back to yourself all during the day.”
He used to tell me, “Bob, you have got to continuously work on yourself. There is no end to the learning process. There is always a lot more to learn. In this Work, go directly to God, and the truth will be revealed to you.”
Interviewer: What in these teachings especially appeals to you?
Bob: At first I didn’t realize the tremendous power involved in his writings and talks. Now I know, or better yet, we know. Vernon Howard was the most “together” person I have ever known. All that you saw was what you got. There was no phoniness about him at all. This Work was all-important to him. Nothing else mattered.
Interviewer: What can you recommend to other people who want to know what life is all about?
Bob: If you want to know the true meaning of life, come to a Vernon Howard meeting in Arizona, California, or in Colorado. In these classes, the true meaning of life is discussed.
These facts are the most self-liberating ideas that have been placed before mankind. Truth will enter your life and make you a different kind of person and that new kind of person is exactly what we have been searching for. You will be delighted with the new person that you will become. God is real, and we only have to find our kinship with him to understand this self-liberating life.
When we understand that we are not our thoughts — that thoughts are but a stream flowing through our mind — we need not fight to control them. What we should do is to become a passive observer of whatever crosses the theater of our mind and not become identified with troubled thoughts. Authentic relief is available; it is there even if you do not presently feel that it is so. See it clearly, and genuine feeling follows.
Interviewer: Do you have a final comment or advice for anyone?
Bob: I have found over many years that New Life is the only thing that has made sense to me. Its demands are pure and the rewards are great. Anyone who sincerely follows these principles will be happier, more fulfilled, a more contented and easy-going person, and life becomes a joy to live.
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