Table Of ContentGod’s Way of Remaining Anonymous
God’s Way of Remaining Anonymous
Reflections on Daytime Dramas and Divine Intervention
Gloria lorinG
Health Communications, Inc. Deerfield Beach, Florida www.hcibooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
©2012 Gloria Loring
ISBN-13: 978-07573-1648-7 (trade paper) ISBN-10: 0-7573-1648-4 (trade paper) ISBN-13: 978-07573-
1649-4 (e-book) ISBN-10: 0-7573-1649-2 (e-book)
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
HCI, its logos, and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442–8190
Cover photo ©Bader Howar
Cover and interior design by Lawna Patterson Oldfield
This book is dedicated to my sister Peggy and her willingness to face
whatever life asked of her.
Table of Songs
one “I Always Will (Brennan’s Song)” .......................................0
two “I Hear You Calling” ........................................................00
three “About Love” ...................................................................00
four “Barely Breathing” ..........................................................00
five “Turn the Page” ...............................................................00
six “Heaven Knows” .............................................................00
seven “The Real Thing” ............................................................00
eight “Talk to Me” .................................................................000
nine “The I in Me” ................................................................000
ten “Song of My Father” ......................................................000
eleven “Invited to the Dance”....................................................000
twelve “Twenty Years Girltime” ................................................000
These songs are available on Gloria’s CD, Turn the Page, available at
www.GloriaLoring.com. vii
Contents
Foreword xiii
Acknowledge .................................................................................. xv
Introduction .....................................................................................1
one | Expect a Miracle ...............................................................9 “On the chair
in my dressing room was a printed business card that read Expect a Miracle. I
wondered out loud, ‘It wasn’t here this morning. Where’d this come from?’”
two | The Source of Coincidences ...............................................25 “It is that
within us and around us which leads and accompanies us through our individual
and collective journeys.”
three | Two Wings .....................................................................41 “Although
coincidences may sometimes seem to come ‘out of the blue,’ I’ve come to believe
we play an
essential role in their appearance.”
four | Letters from God .............................................................56 “I was about
to be given a series of deeply personal coincidences that provided evidence of
grace and
divine intervention.”
ix x Contents
five | The Only Way It Could Happen .......................................
00
“Beth asked a really good question, ‘Is there any way it could happen?’ I
daydreamed an inventory of possibility, not knowing that the pieces of the puzzle
were waiting to be picked up and put in place.”
six | Swept Clean
...................................................................
00
“Coincidence gives and coincidence takes away.
Often, it is only in hindsight we see clearly that losses we experienced were
beneficial.”
seven | An Opening of the Heart
.................................................
00
“The lessons spoke of love and respect, that this course was not a matter of
believing something or even agreeing with anything, that its validity would be
found in my experience.”
eight | Trust Your Experience
.....................................................
00
“I had been handed enough coincidences before meeting my teacher to know
that something benevolent and caring was ‘out there.’ She taught me that
benevolence was also ‘in here.’”
nine | Deep Secrets
....................................................................00 “My exploration into the deep
parts of my being was about to yield some amazing and shocking results.”
ten | The Uses of Coincidence ...................................................
00
“We come to this life with issues to resolve and release. Just as we are born
with genetic factors, we bring psychic and emotional factors. . . .”
Contents
xi
eleven | Listening
........................................................................00 “I asked my heart, What do you
need, dear one? I heard the answer inside, I need you to listen more.”
twelve | Two Choices ....................................................................
00
“ Years ago I read that there are only two choices, fear and love. At the time,
I thought that sounded a little simplistic, but coincidence has shown me
otherwise.”
Chapter Notes ................................................................................00
Bibliography ..................................................................................00
About the Author ............................................................................00
Foreword
W
hen Gloria Loring called to invite me to write the foreword to Coincidence Is
God’s Way of Remaining Anonymous, I felt it an honor and accepted
immediately. In fact, I couldn’t help thinking
to myself that the way I met Gloria was undeniably one of those luscious
God-intended coincidences she’s written about so eloquently. The roots of this
coincidence are far-reaching. It happened one evening while watching television.
The host of this show introduced Gloria Loring and she boldly sashayed into the
spotlight. At that moment, there was no doubt in my mind she was the
incarnation of Venus. The dazzling radiance of her presence emanated through
the television in waves of palpable energy. And then she began to sing. What an
amazing voice! From that day forward, I was an ardent fan. Moreover, on that
day, Gloria imprinted me with a living vision of how a strong, self-confident
woman of talent presented herself to the world. I didn’t know how it would
happen, but I knew one day I would meet her.
Fast forward to Sedona, Arizona 2008. I was there as an author/ guest speaker at
a weekend conference. At some point during the
xiii
xiv Foreword
event, I was in the audience listening to another speaker when I caught a
glimpse of Gloria sitting not too far away. I couldn’t believe it: Gloria Loring
was also lending her talents to the conference where I was speaking! Finally, I
was going to be able to meet her. I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. When
the moment of our introduction arrived, I remember managing to mumble a few
nonsensical words in her direction. Later, during a more lucid conversation,
Gloria revealed one of the reasons she’d been looking forward to the conference
was because she happened to be a fan of my speaking partner and coauthor,
Dannion Brinkley. You can only imagine how thrilled I was with such
synchronicity! Gloria closed that program in Sedona to a standing ovation after
singing one of my favorite songs, “The Prayer.”
In the years since our coincidental meeting, our friendship has blossomed
into genuine soul-sisterhood. The deep wisdom, incredible strength, breathtaking
talent, and versatility Gloria so naturally possesses are unparalleled. When I read
the first draft of this book, I was simply astonished by her gorgeous writing
style. It is a style so rich and welcoming it gently drew me into the very heart of
her story, where I experienced the joys and challenges right along with her.
Gloria has a knack for painting a larger vision of the subtleties and nuances of
life in a way that helps us all to understand the brilliance at work behind our
human design and destiny. Although there is no way for us to completely
understand all the mysteries inherent in life, Gloria teaches that through paying
attention to the signs and symbols of intuition and coincidence, and by choosing
love over fear, we can more easily navigate the path of higher awareness.
Expect a Miracle
xv
Ultimately this path leads us all through the basic training of our spiritual
evolution.
Compelled by passion, it is obvious Gloria has graciously poured her soul
into this power-packed manual for conscious living. She writes of wanting to be
a blessing to those around her; indeed, she is and always has been, by means of
using her life as her example. For instance, through her dedication to the practice
of meditation, Gloria has discovered the inner serenity that attracts its equivalent
in her outer reality. As a result, her serene and steadfast spirit enhances the lives
of everyone she loves. She genuinely lives in the knowing that we must give
away what we hope to receive, and only by viewing life through the eyes of love
can we see with divine accuracy. Once we accomplish this level of clarity,
Gloria assures us it is easier to witness the many ways coincidences can be lined
with miracles of varying degrees. After reading this enlightening and love-laced
autobiographical tome, you too will thank Gloria Loring for this timeless gift,
this open-hearted reminder to stay present and pay attention to what life is
showering upon us in the guise of miraculous coincidences! For once we learn to
expect miracles, we will find them happening all the Days of Our Lives.
Kathryn Peters-Brinkley
Bestselling author, international lecturer, and publisher of Kinetics
magazine
Acknowledgments
hank you to screenwriting expert Syd Field, whose advice Tabout structure helped me
begin, and to Valorie Armstrong for reading some of her beautiful memoir to
me, which inspired me to
write my own.
To Cheri Ingram, my friend and creative partner, for crying
through the first reading, and then asking me to write more and not
shy away from adding more personal stories. And for her writing the
extensive book proposal that garnered Bill Gladstone of Waterside
Productions to take me on as a client. His enthusiasm combined
with our shared love of coincidence and the realm of spirit brought
me to HCI and Allison Janse, my editor. Allison has expanded my
sense of what is good and possible with her consistent encouragement and
collaborative nature. I am so grateful to have her on my
side.
Thank you to the authors whose wisdom deepened my understanding of
coincidence, especially Craig S. Bell, Phil Cousineau,
Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal,
David Richo, Mark Thurston, and Dan Wakefield.
xvii xviii acknowledgments
To my readers—Kim Kipers and Lynn Metrik—who found typos and asked
good questions. To Cindy Constantin, who listened as I read every chapter aloud
so I could feel sure I was saying what I meant.
Thanks to Bader Howar for her beautiful photograph, and to graphic artist
Lawna Oldfield for creating a strong and elegant cover design.
To Tom Estey, who is still as excited about his public relations work and his
clients as the day I met him thirty years ago. His friendship has been a gift to me.
My heart’s gratitude to René for providing a stable and happy home within
which I could take the time to write. To my dear sons and their families:
Brennan and Dolly, Robin and Paula, and Nana’s two gorgeous boys—Tyler and
Julian—who brighten my life enormously.
Introduction
e was the talent coordinator for a TV talk show and was Hinterviewing me for an
upcoming appearance. I had just told him the story that appears in the first
chapter of this book, about the
business card printed with the message EXPECT A MIRACLE that
mysteriously appeared in my Days of Our Lives dressing room and
foreshadowed my raising $1 million for diabetes research. When I
remarked that it was an amazing coincidence, he responded “Yes,
and coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” Sometimes that’s all it
takes to change a life—the right words
spoken at the right time. Words that invite reflection, that offer such
a deep perspective they become the gift that keeps on giving. The
phrase carries the pedigree of Albert Einstein, but it would be a long
time before I discovered that he was the source.
I first thought of writing this book twenty years ago. I wanted to
share the life-changing coincidences that had transformed my life,
but I once read in Vanity Fair that you shouldn’t write an autobiography unless
you’ve had at least a junior high gym named after
you. (My name does appear as an answer to a Trivia question, but
1
I’m not sure what that qualifies me for.) Yet even without the junior high
gym attainment, the feeling that I should share these stories wouldn’t go away.
Then one day I was standing in the bookstore at the San Francisco airport,
thinking about the book I would write . . . someday. As I looked at the rows of
bestsellers, I felt a surge of energy run through my body. It was a feeling I had
experienced before and had come to recognize as a sign that something was true
and real for me, and that I should pay attention. I knew “someday” had come—it
was time to sit down, shut up, and start writing. That nudge was twelve years
ago, yet the long delay is a good thing. I needed a lot of time to immerse myself
in the subject of coincidence and to deepen my understanding of my
experiences.
The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said, “To ascribe an intention
to chance is a thought which is either the height of absurdity or the depth of
profundity.” In discussing coincidence and God, I know I risk sounding absurd
at times. It’s a scary business, trying to make sense of what seems beyond
reasoning. I’m not a theologian, but I can tell you what’s been given in my life’s
lessons. Each of us can stand as a witness to the greater knowledge that is calling
to us. There is intention in the power that fills this world of ours. Individual
intention is part of it, but there’s more than that.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “There are no coincidences.” There are
opposing points of view on this subject. The traditional scientific worldview of a
mechanical, random universe preaches that matter and events are not organized
by any kind of outer or inner force. Yet coincidence contradicts chaos and urges
us to look more deeply. I believe this universe and our existence within it are not
mere chance occurrences. There is conscious intelligence at work, both within us
and around us. Sometimes we tune into it, sometimes we don’t. But in truth, it is
as close as the breath that animates the body.
When I first wrote down my personal stories, I wondered how I was going to
make the lessons in them useful. I had no idea how to explain coincidence or the
way it had unfolded in my life. So, in addition to twenty years of spiritual study,
I’ve spent the last ten years researching the practical aspects of coincidence. I
have been moved and challenged by the depth of what I’ve found. As I began
writing, I realized I had staked myself a rather ambitious piece of territory: to
write a book that explains how God provides coincidences. The question arose,
“Are you crazy?” I wrote it anyway.
This book is a thank-you for my life’s gifts; I don’t ever want to forget what
has been given. It’s for my sons; I want them to know what a good life it is, in
spite of appearing to be otherwise at times. And it’s for you. I hope these stories
and the understanding they prompt will be a blessing to you, as they have been
to me.
It’s been quite a journey getting to the moment when I had a book full of
things to say and the courage to say them. I was born in what was called Hell’s
Kitchen in New York City. My dad was a trumpet player, my mom a band singer
until she got pregnant with me and became a full-time mother and housewife. On
a few occasions, a young band singer named Eddie Fisher babysat for me. By the
time I was two, we were living on Long Island in a duplex. I attended
Elementary School P.S. 205, rode my bike to Flushing Meadows to attend the
Saturday matinee and sample the tapioca pudding at the Horn and Hardart
Automat, and had my first crush at ten on Rocco Russo, a stylin’ sixth-grader
with the look that inspired The Fonz—greased ducktail and black leather jacket.
I spent my early years singing in church and school productions, wanting to be
special, needing to be heard.
We moved to Minneapolis for my junior high years. Minnesota was familiar
to me. Every year I could remember, we had flown or driven to Fergus Falls for
a month at the family summer cottage. It was a log cabin built by my great-
uncles on Lake Ottertail. We had turn-of-the-century amenities: an outhouse, a
wood-burning stove, and an icebox for which a block of ice was delivered each
week. I loved it. When my cousins and I weren’t playing Canasta, a rummytype
card game (I was a terrible loser), my sister Pat and I were allowed to roam
anywhere we wanted, whether to the farm across the road to search for kittens in
the hayloft or walk barefoot down the dirt road to the one-room country store for
a Coke or ice cream.
When I was in eighth grade, sometime after my second sister, Peggy, was
born, I overheard my parents talking about my dad’s drinking. I absorbed the
tension and uncertainty of my surroundings. I learned to survive by pretending
nothing was happening. My father’s company, National Cash Register,
transferred him to Miami Beach. (My grandmother had convinced him he should
have a “real job,” other than as a musician, but he still played in bands on the
weekends.)
I began attending Miami Beach High School where, at first, I was an outcast.
Cliques were just as prevalent then as now and almost everyone in the school
was either Jewish or Cuban. I was neither. I made my way by singing in the
choir, becoming a soloist, and then added cheerleader to my résumé. During this
time, when I was fifteen, my parents got divorced. I soldiered on, putting on my
game face in spite of the chaos and anguish at home. By my senior year, I was
voted Homecoming Princess and Most Talented, both of which were a surprise
to me.
I graduated and began singing in local clubs, including one weekend at the
Miami Playboy Club. Within months after I turned eighteen, my dad and mom
moved to Fresno and San Francisco, respectively. I stayed behind because I had
some singing engagements coming up. I arranged to live at my girlfriend’s
house, but after six weeks, her mother told me, “Gloria, I think it’s time for you
to find a place to live.”
I was eighteen years old with very little money and nowhere to live. I called
my dad and asked if I could borrow $100, which sounded like a lot of money to
me. He said yes. My next singing job was a month away, so I had to make $100
last for four weeks. I went out to try to find a place to live. I did—a much-less-
than-elegant motel across from the Piggly Wiggly that cost $20 a week. I had to
put quarters in the air conditioner and several times I ran out of quarters at 2 am
in the summer in Miami. Before I melted, I had to get dressed, go across to the
Piggly Wiggly, and get more quarters. I had about $5 a week to spend on food. I
bought a pound of hamburger, a quart of milk, a can of peas, and a box of cereal,
and prayed someone would take me out for lunch or dinner.
After two weeks, I could see that I was going to run out of money before the
month was finished. A girlfriend told me about a job for two nights that would
earn me some money, and I said sure, thinking it was a singing job. It wasn’t.
For two nights, I was a go-go girl. I wore a white, short, fringed dress and little
white boots, and I danced . . . in a cage. (No, this information is not in my
Facebook profile.) But that extra money helped me make it through the month.
An agent who saw me at one of my local gigs started booking me beyond
Miami. Back then, there was an active nightclub circuit, and, music in hand, I
went on the road by myself, touring small towns all over America. (This
prompted my Lutheran grandmother to ask, “Why do you have to sing in
saloons?”)
After two years of saloon singing, I was on television—an ambitious
newcomer with long blond hair, good teeth, and a good jawline who’d landed a
yearlong contract on The Merv Griffin Show. My first trip to Las Vegas was as
part of Merv’s Vegas show with Merv, Arthur Treacher, comedian Marty Brill,
and, gulp, Gloria Loring. What a thrill to see my name on the Riviera Hotel
billboard. Singing on Merv’s TV show every two weeks led to hundreds of
variety television appearances (Carol Burnett, Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan), three
record albums, and a trip with Bob Hope’s USO show to Vietnam with Ursula
Andress, Johnny Bench, Lola Falana, the Golddiggers, and Les Brown and his
Band of Renown. These successes elevated me to Vegas co-star status with
Danny Thomas, Red Skelton, and Rich Little.
It was an incredibly exciting time I sort of whirled through. While appearing
in Toronto at the Royal York Hotel I met a Canadian comedy writer named
Alan. Seven months later, we were married and I became Gloria Loring Thicke.
(Or as it appeared on my initialed bath towels, GLT—perfect for the girl who
constantly worried she had done something wrong.) We set up housekeeping in
Los Angeles and four years after that, twenty-two hours of labor resulted in a
son, Brennan. Then two years after that, a second son, Robin. I stumbled along,
not sure how best to be a mother or a wife. Underneath my anxious
perfectionism was the fear that I would let someone down or make someone
mad. I lived my life from the outside in: I watched to see what others wanted me
