Lisa's desire to provide a safe haven for women escaping a similar life in which she herself had been stuck, had taken shape in The Shelter. Four small houses with a central living room in the middle. Four women, the second group already, who had gloriously won their court cases and hadn't needed security since. They were living there, settling down more and more and trying to pick up their lives.

Precisely the latter, several conversations with Sjaak, Lisa, Huib and Margreet revealed, was difficult for them. All four had known years when others were in charge of their lives. It felt to them as if there was not much other choice left, but they wanted to be different. They wanted to choose for themselves, decide on their own lives, find their own way. Help was welcome, but not people forcing them in a certain direction again.

Huib came up with the idea of organising a film evening, because he knew a film that in a special way had everything to do with that choosing. He discussed this with the women.

"We could do it here in your central living room. Would you guys like that?"

They liked the idea of a movie night with that type of film.

"Will you come too, I mean all the people living at Bloemenhof?"

"How would you guys like that?" rebounded Huib.

The women agreed that that was a good idea. The Bloemenhof family felt trustworthy.

"Will you ask that new staff member too?"

"And are you taking Gloria and that other baby with you?"

Huib chuckled: "I can ask Bianca to join us. And as for both babies, yes, that seems convenient."

They agreed together that they thought that was a good idea. The babies could possibly sleep in another room, and if they were awake, everyone would be ready to take care of a baby. The ladies were totally into it!

"Great, I'll get after it. I'll discuss how we can arrange it with some drinks and such, and on which night. You'll hear from me!"

.

All that could be arranged very quickly. The very next evening, the large living room filled up. To the women's delight, both babies were awake, but they sensed that Bianca was still waiting to see what happens, and they did not urge her to let them take Julian on their laps.

Annerieke, who always provided pie for the guesthouse, the family and for the women, had now brought it for everyone. Together with Simon, she carried a crate with a pie, a stack of pastry dishes and a pot of pastry forks.

As everyone enjoyed pastries and coffee, spontaneous conversations ensued. Ineke, one of the women from The Shelter tried to make contact with Bianca. It was not long before she loosened up and dared to mention that Julian's father had forced her, had actually raped her several times. Ineke made a link to her own past: "So, at a deep level, you went through something similar to what we went through. We were also forced, raped."

Bianca thought it was different after all, because her case involved her boyfriend.

"That is exactly the same Bianca, whatever man it is about, a woman should never be forced into something like that. It's breaking into your body and into your soul, it's devastating. You know, we don't have to measure each other's situations against each other, but I think it's best to realise that the basis with you is the same, the basis of being forced into something you don't want. The rest will be different with everyone else. Actually, the film tonight is about that too, that you should be able to make a choice between what you want yourself and what someone else forces on you. You and I have both had a period when we did not have that choice. And we, as women of The Shelter, have talked to Huib about it, that we are not so sure how to proceed now. We can't spend our lives living here, we can't and we don't want to. We talked about this among ourselves, noticed that we would like to do things differently, but are not so sure how. And when we were talking to Huib about it, he came up with a movie. I don't remember the name, but we'll see in a minute. You have already made a choice. Are you happy with it? Was it really your choice?"

Bianca thought for a moment, "Yes and no, I do housework now, and that's not really my thing. But the work I was doing before was not good for Julian and me. He had to go to a babysitter every day, and I didn't have someone who could look after him every day, so he would have to get used to all kinds of people. I thought that was a nasty idea. I discussed it with my chef, who knew the people at Bloemenhof. And I could move here like that. I live with Julian in the attic there, a huge room and a big landing, and work on both floors below. When Julian sleeps, I leave him upstairs. I can hear him through the baby monitor, which I have an App of on my mobile. So far, it's going perfectly. Huib has already made a stair gate for the attic, for the moment Julian starts crawling. So the attic is quite safe for him. And the atmosphere in the guesthouse, among themselves in the Bloemenhof family, is so good, I feel completely at home with them! And I picked up my childhood hobby again, after years of doing nothing with it. And where working for the boarding house has been more of a necessary step, picking up my old hobby has really been the choice of my heart."

Bianca explained to Ineke what hobby was involved. It seemed fun to Ineke, though she found it hard to imagine how Bianca could be creative in this.

"Can I come and see you sometime?" asked Ineke.

Bianca was surprised: "Can you just get out of your house then? Is that safe enough already?"

"Yes, in principle we can, but we haven't been off the property yet. We've only walked together once. So that still seems exciting to me, to go to you all alone, but I have to take that step sometime, don't you think? That's also a choice, I guess..."

"I can imagine that's exciting. Now if I give you my phone number, you just send me a message what time you want to come. If I can then, I'll just walk down and stand guard in the middle of the grounds. Then it might feel a little less alone."

"Oh, I think that's really sweet of you. Yes, that would help me, I think, especially that way that first time. Do you really like it when I come over? I don't want to impose myself though..."

Bianca laughed: "I said the same thing to Simon when he had Julian on his lap the first time, that I didn't want Julian or me to bother him. Well, he very sweetly informed me that we would never be. And that goes for you to me too, you don't intrude, we just meet up. And I like that too! So just give me a message, here's my number." Bianca handed her a note, on which she had written her number.

"Thank you, I'll be in touch soon. Oh look, I think Huib wants to start."

"You got that right, Ineke, I already have the film ready. But before I start it, let me just say that I'm glad we're all here together! And that movie, it's about detective Sherlock Holmes' sister. Her name is Enola and she is raised by her mother. However, her mother has a plan in mind for herself, which Enola doesn't know about. She only finds this out when her mother disappears, while Enola is not yet fully grown up by worldly standards. That Enola is, at its deepest level, fully mature, is revealed in the sequel of the film. Her mother has made a choice, chosen a path for her own life, because she knew what she had to do, both to Enola and to the world. And it turns out she has prepared her daughter well for something she has no idea about yet. Enola turns out to be a brave young lady, choosing a path against everything. She remembers, her mother once said:

There are two paths you can take, Enola

Yours...

or the path others choose for you

.

It's not simple, because her older brothers have different ideas about how to continue her upbringing... and I'll stop there, otherwise I'll tell the whole story. What I find special about this film, however, is that her mother has prepared a path for herself, with a clear goal in mind, but in the end it is her daughter Enola who accomplishes the goal without really knowing it herself. What I would add myself is that we need to be well aware of what we want to do in this world. Our soul knows that very well, and through all the inner wounding we have, will do everything it can to tell us what suits us. Shall I start the movie?"

He looked around the group for a moment. And as everyone nodded, he pressed the start button.

It was quiet, very quiet, except for an occasional small expression of emotion. Piece by piece, they were completely immersed in the story. The fact that both babies indicated they were hungry in between was no problem. Both mothers changed their children and breastfed them as they continued watching.

.

As the credits began to roll, conversations started spontaneously. Ineke, who was still sitting next to Bianca, asked her if she felt her sewing was anything like Enola's.

Bianca hesitantly shook her head, gesturing to ask if Ineke would like to have Julian on her lap for a while. She handed him over to her and said, "I think it's incredibly nice, that I have found my hobby again. Maybe I can sell some of it too, one day. But whether that's a life goal... I can't imagine that! I mean, Enola helped her friend, her husband get to where he needed to be and was able to prevent disaster from happening. Of course, I can't manage something like that sewing doll clothes."

"That's where you're wrong, Bianca, that's where you underestimate yourself," Sjaak responded. "We were taught to think in a certain way, and how you just thought, that was that taught way. But do you know what is so beautiful? When you've found what really suits you, what you can put your soul, your heart into, then power emanates from that. So if sewing doll clothes really is your passion, which it is, then your soul can express its creative power in that. When people start seeing your doll clothes in the future, that power will touch them, especially if they enjoy what you have made, maybe even want to buy it. And that power of your soul, in turn, will help them, strengthen them in their process of inner healing. So basically, with everything you do from your soul, you bring power, light and life to those around you. That's what Enola does in that film too. It's not just about what she has achieved for her husband, but it's mostly to do with the power with which she does it. She does not know where she is going, what her goal is, except that she wants to follow her own heart, and she is super strong at that. And the more you heal within, the more people will begin to experience that about you. And then all the choices you make will matter. Not that you can make wrong choices, at most choices that do not come from your soul but from woundedness. And the choices you do make from your soul, those will cause people to really see you, really hear you, feel you. And they will, consciously or unconsciously be touched by you."

Bianca and Ineke, as well as the others around Sjaak, had been listening intently, as if sucking in his words. They remained silent, trying to imagine what this would be like in practice, what it might work out, what each could personally add for those around them.

.

“Enola Holmes”, trailer:

https://youtu.be/1d0Zf9sXlHk

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