Beloved

Beloved. We are the Beloved. In so many ways the Universe is letting us know how much we are loved. It custom tailors its messages to us so we cannot doubt they are ours. All we have to do is pay attention. In a mystical experience at Costco this week, yes, Costco, the temple of discount consumption, I received my most recent notification that I am the Beloved. I don't really care where I am when Spirit tells me that I am loved. I experience delight wherever it is and whatever form it takes.

Wow. One. There is one copy of Leila Meacham’s paperback at Costco, on top of one of two tables of books on display. Just to be sure, I circle then circle again, both tables, Doubting Thomas that I am, looking for another copy. Nope. None. Nada. Just checking. . . There’s only one, the one that is a love message of support from Spirit to me. It’s near the front, right by the aisle as I pass, unmistakable. The title, Roses, embossed in gold letters, is surrounded by a profusion of pink and red roses.              

        

How do I know it’s a love letter from Spirit? There are no accidents. It is a symbolic synchronicity, or “coincidence.” I encountered the author and book two weeks ago in person at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Writers Conference. Leila Meacham was the keynote speaker, her appearance another love letter from Spirit to me. She and I have so many things in common we could be twins. Both of us are retired teachers of similar age with first books who consider writing their job and follow spiritual practices.

Spirit told me, several times, starting with a bumper sticker, “Move forward confidently in the direction of your dreams.” At the regular, monthly meeting of SouthWest Writers, Spirit let me know about the UNM Writers Conference. Brochures were distributed and an announcement made that early registrants would receive a free, 10-minute “book pitch” with an agent or editor of their choice from New York. My book pitch was scheduled at the same exact time my writing teachers were presenting a workshop on their new book, Find Your Story – Write Your Memoir. My book is a self-help memoir. Nudge-nudge, wink-wink. Spirit keeps saying, “You are loved and supported." Keep moving forward.

Now, about that book pitch. As a spiritual mentor likes to say, “There’s one thing I am perfectly clear about. I don’t have the foggiest notion how to do that. But I didn’t know how to do puberty either. . . . .did you?” No. Fortunately, Spirit loves me through a fabulous, retired reference librarian friend who, without being asked, emails me thirty pages of the best information available on how to prepare a book pitch. It is totally relevant. Try selecting that sometime from 549,237,091 google hits on the topic. I email her a copy of the two-page pitch I labor on for seven hours. “I love it, outstanding,” she pronounces. This is high praise from someone who, for years, read book synopses and purchased books for her library. Spirit does indeed love me.  

Leila Meacham is a delightful keynote speaker - authentic, unassuming, charming and inspirational. She tells us it's her first writers conference and first keynote address. She tells us her story. She shares how the multigenerational family saga manuscript she worked on for twenty years almost ended up in the trash, rescued at the last moment by her husband when they moved. When the book is finally finished, a friend asks to share a few pages with someone. The someone “just happens” to be a very successful literary agent. The literary agent “just happens” to obtain a book contract two weeks later. The book “just happens” to make the best-seller list within eighteen days of publication. I’ll bet she didn’t know how to do puberty either.

After Leila’s talk, people of all ages thank her for being such an inspiration. Now Spirit has presented me with her book at Costco. For 624 pages, I can immerse myself in the consciousness of the 70-year-old, retired schoolteacher from East Texas, whose first published book easily and effortlessly reaches The New York Times Best Sellers list. For hours and hours, I can enjoy reading a dream come true. “If it can happen for her, it can happen for you,” Spirit says. “Here. Hold it in your hands as a tangible reality. You are my Beloved.”