McManus, Dorothy

Before moving to Sedona in 1982, Dorothy McManus was raised in a small wealthy farming area, El Centro, California, twelve miles from the Mexican border. She fell in love at the age of thirteen, married early, had three sons, and is now grandmother of six. She and her husband have lived over fifty happy years together, though experiencing the traumatic death of their youngest son while he served in the Peace Corps.

Dorothy's educational background includes two years of college after marriage, one year of business college, and a degree in interior design. She worked in the family office supply and furniture store as a professional designer and became active in church, school, and scouting while raising her boys.

The author's firm conviction of the eternality of life stems from a happenstance at the age of three. While playing on the lawn one day, young Dorothy suddenly stood still, looked up at the sky with its fluffy fleeting clouds, then down at the velvety green grass, twirling and joyfully shouting, "I'm alive, I'm alive!" as if unexpectedly awakened from another phase of living. She loves the starry constellations, feeling that somewhere out there, one had once been her home.