Transitions<\/p>\n
6 September 2007<\/p>\n
\u201cSilly, you just handed me a million dollars<\/p>\n
and you\u2019re crying because you dropped a dime.\u201d<\/p>\n
A CONVERSATION WITH FRANK AND GINNY LUCAS<\/p>\n
Frank Lucas will tell you the best bargain he ever got at a garage sale was his wife, Ginny. What? Well, she wasn\u2019t on a table or anything like that. Their mutual friend, Paula, had unsuccessfully tried to get the two to meet in the past. It wasn\u2019t until she held a garage sale that life would change for the two. Ginny was helping Paula with signs; Frank pulled up across the street to have coffee with his mother. After meeting face to face. Frank\u2019s curiosity was piqued. but Ginny left to post signs! Paula told Frank that Ginny didn\u2019t date; however she did suggest he invite Ginny to play tennis.., that was 33 years ago.<\/p>\n
Individually; Ginny and Frank are fascinating. Diverse backgrounds. interesting stories, and more hobbies than one knew existed! But, together, they form two halves of one very enviable whole. They have mutual love and respect for one another; a family they adore, a successful business, and a comfort level in their lives most people can only dream of.<\/p>\n
While acquiring her psychology degree, Ginny needed to pass a statistics class to graduate\u2014not exactly her forte. She visited psychologist, Dr Irving Roy, to overcome her hatred of math. Not only did Ginny get an A, she got the highest grade in the class! Ginny later returned to Dr. Roy to learn self-hypnosis, an area of study that would later turn Ginny and Frank\u2019s lives around in a whole new direction.<\/p>\n
Ginny worked as a legal secretary for 20 years when she realized she wanted something new. Her previous experience with hypnosis proved a catalyst. Armed with her degree in psychology Ginny then got her Doctorate in Clinical Hypnosis She started her professional practice, Evergreen Hypnosis, in 1992, and recently got her Ph.D. in Psychology.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Frank had been in retail management. Evergreen would soon prove to be more work than Ginny could handle alone, so Frank became a hypnotherapist and joined her. Frank will tell you he\u2019d still be in retail, if not for Ginny, and that he\u2019s learned so much from her. He says, \u201cIt\u2019s a whole different universe. When someone calls or sends a note saying, \u2018Thanks! You saved my life!\u2019 it doesn\u2019t get any better than that\u2019<\/p>\n
The reason Ginny first consulted Dr. Roy about self-hypnosis was for labor and delivery– they were having a baby! Both Frank and Ginny had been married before. Ginny had two Sons, while Frank was childless. Back then, however, fathers weren\u2019t allowed to be present during C-sections, something that broke Ginny\u2019s heart, as this was his first. He told her. \u201cSilly, you just handed me a million dollars and you\u2019re crying because you dropped a dime.”<\/p>\n
Frank\u2019s way with words is one thing Ginny admires about him most. She considers that one of his biggest attributes as a successful hypnotherapist, where she says, \u201cEffective use of language is so important\u2019\u201d Exceptional people skills also factor in to Frank\u2019s personality. Ginny was awarded Small Business Person of the Year in 2003, by the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce. As a \u201cthank you\u201d she sent them Frank, where he now serves on several committees.<\/p>\n
Communication has served Frank and Ginny well in their professional lives, but it\u2019s also a key to their successful marriage. Ginny knows that what you are saying to someone isn\u2019t necessarily what they are hearing from you. That\u2019s why she and Frank are open and honest with one another, even if it does hurt. They don\u2019t hold back, they keep it on the level. But, they balance out the hurt with laughter. This honesty and understanding was missing in both of their previous marriages. This \u201cbalance\u201d is something they have in day to day activities, as well. Doing a crossword puzzle: Frank knows the answer, Ginny spells the word. On a car trip: He knows how to get there, she knows how long it will take. She knows how to pick a present for somebody; he\u2019s the only electronic-savvy one in the house!<\/p>\n
A passion for martial arts was a common interest for Ginny and Frank that they didn\u2019t even know they had until their daughter started lessons at age 13. Remaining active is something Frank and Ginny take pride in. Whether it\u2019s martial arts, the yoga Ginny teaches at UOP, or tearing down and rebuilding their deck, these two are always doing something. Running after grandchildren and great-grandchildren doesn\u2019t hurt, either.<\/p>\n
Horses are another interest of Ginny\u2019s since her late twenties. She\u2019ll tell you, \u201cOnce they\u2019ve been a part of your life, nothing else can take their place\u201d After seeing the film, \u201cSeabiscuit\u201d Ginny missed having a horse. Finally, after \u201cOpen Range\u201d and \u201cHidalgo\u2019 she told Frank, \u201cHoney, I NEED a horse!\u201d Soon, Ginny got Brandi, a quarter horse. She was ready to change Brandi\u2019s name, but realized that Brandi wasn\u2019t a horse whose name you change. Ginny knows that she and Brandi are very similar and that\u2019s why they get along so well. As a child, Ginny was told that she was more trouble than she was worth. Frank has since changed that to, \u201cYou\u2019re a lot of trouble, and you\u2019re worth it\u2019 And that\u2019s how she feels about Brandi.<\/p>\n
Although Ginny has officially retired from Evergreen, she keeps busy with other projects, including mentoring younger hypnotherapists, writing books, and producing and recording self-hypnosis CDs. They target affirmation, success, insomnia, memory, Just to name a few.<\/p>\n
Frank continues his hypnotherapy at Evergreen, where he thinks he\u2019ll be for another 10 to 15 years. in the meantime, they hope to have one or two of the hypnotherapists Ginny has mentored step in, under their supervision.<\/p>\n
Frank and Ginny are enjoying the ride they are on and should be proud of all they have accomplished. They know it has to come to an end someday, but they\u2019re not particularly worried about it. Ginny just hopes she can be around her loved ones when it does happen; she also hopes ghosts exist so she can haunt them! She once asked Frank, \u201cDo you think we\u2019ll know each other in our next life?\u201d He figures if that\u2019s all your wife worries about, you\u2019ve got it made Finally, Ginny always says, \u201cI believe the world would be a better place if every woman could have a husband like Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information about Ginny and Frank Lucas or Evergreen Hypnosis visit www.egreen.net<\/p>\n
Story by Jaye Stevens, Cover photo by Michelle Manos<\/p>\n
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