ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MY HEARTFELT GRATITUDE to the spirit of God for choosing me to write this book. I feel extremely blessed to know and feel her constant presence and love in my life.
To the spirit of Mary Love, who spoke through me the entire way. And to my ego, who got out of the way.
To my fairy godmother, Terre Thomas, whose belief in this story and its message have made all my wishes come true.
To Jan Johnson and all the staff at Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari, thank you for taking the risk and trusting divine timing. You are a true gift in the publishing world.
To Sabina Fox, whose honesty and advice helped create a story that could truly fly.
To Joyce Rosenblad for your passion and vigor in making the manuscript a reality.
To Sheryl Rose, Barbara Carroll, Diane Simonet-Kenney, and Laurie Young, I am deeply grateful for your excitement, support, and help with the process and manuscript revisions. I am blessed to have such wonderful sisters.
To my sweet niece, Sarah Rose, whose youthful passion for creating a better world was an inspiration for me to keep doing my part!
To my dear mother, whose belief in this project gave me added confidence to see it through. Thanks for “seeing” me, Mom.
To my father, who taught me to believe that anything is possible, and has so graciously supported my “working for God.”
To Jim Albani for the great idea of turning my God campaign into a heartwarming story.
To Myron Lowe, I am grateful for all your encouragement and delight as I birthed this book.
To Kathy Weidner, my happy friend, whose cheerleading always reminds me to lighten up.
To Lloyd Hansen and Darlene Tworzyanski for your loving support and suggestions. And to Carl Edward Anderson for all the love, laughter, and good tips. Thanks for being there, dear.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LISA VENABLE, M.A. is an inspirational speaker and spiritual psychotherapist. She holds a Masters degree in psychology and is a long time student and teacher of mindfulness meditation. Lisa helps clients transform fear and limiting beliefs and access, the power of love and acceptance. She is an experienced educator, conducting workshops and retreats in churches, corporations, community colleges, and health care organizations both in the US and abroad. Visit her at LisaVenable.com.
1.
WHERE IS GOD, ANYWAY?
HEAVENLY HAIR was as close to heaven as Sarah Rose wanted to be. She was finished with listening to divine voices and foolishly thinking she could make a better world. Exhausted and disillusioned with God, she preferred to spend her days thinking of nothing but a good haircut. What could be more heavenly? No worries, no frustration, and no pressure. She deserved a rest from it all.
Since childhood, Sarah had had a buzz inside her to change things. Maybe it was because her father was a state senator and her mother a civil rights activist. Maybe it was the blessing from Martin Luther King when she was nestled in her mother's womb during the March on Washington. Her mother had always said that Sarah wouldn't stop moving after that day and was bursting to come out for weeks before she was due.
Deep down, Sarah thought the real reason for her longtime devotion to change was the vision she had received in a dream the night of her sixteenth birthday. She had been sleeping soundly when a light appeared in her room, followed by a soft, angelic voice that instructed her to look outside. Peering out her bedroom window, Sarah saw fire in the sky and people screaming for help. The scene seemed to depict the end of the world. The voice declared that love was dying and that people would be wise to remember love before it was too late.
Are you God? Sarah had asked the voice, but its only reply was, Please help. Sarah promised she would, then awakened in a terrible sweat. From that moment on, with the heavenly voice ringing in her ears, Sarah set out to save the world.
She pursued a career in social justice and moved to Washington, D.C., determined to at least get her own country on track. Once Congress knew how its policies affected the populace, surely it would do the right thing. But when she witnessed how laws were enacted, through brownnosing, backstabbing, and the influence of big money, she felt stung. Good, commonsense policy that would truly help people seemed to get lost in a game. The democracy that America prided itself on was far from democratic.
For the next fifteen years, Sarah labored tirelessly to create a stronger America. Whether through serving as Big Sister to a troubled youth, shouting for peace at antiwar rallies, or working to get a favorite candidate elected, she engaged herself above and beyond the call of duty. The divine voice had left a mark on her soul that kept her impeccably focused year after year. She simply was compelled to set things straight and do her part before a real fire fell out of the sky.
Then, on September 11, 2001, her nightmare materialized as the Twin Towers exploded in New York City. The plague of terrorism had attacked America. Sarah was sure that something so drastic would open people's hearts. Compassion reigned for a while, but soon all Sarah witnessed was more divisiveness, fighting, and anger. Love was definitely not being remembered. She had fought as long as she could to keep America from responding with more violence, but after many years of tireless activism, her inner fire had lost its power. Her flame finally extinguished when she made her last and, in her mind, final visit to Congress, with other concerned citizens, to propose a peaceful solution to terrorism. What the politicians said to her that day finally broke her spirit. Maybe it was too late. Maybe love had already died, and it was just a matter of time before everyone would all disappear.
With the wars and intolerance, and lack of understanding and compassion, Sarah could not fathom how the world could be saved and began to resent God for summoning her. Where was he anyway? Why didn't he provide humans with better tools to get along in the first place? If he had forgotten to push the “harmony” button, why not come down and fix it? Slowly, the once-bursting Martin Luther King wannabe gave up. She was happy to be back in her hometown working at Heavenly Hair, the salon her best friend, Halle, owned and operated. “You're destined for more than this,” Halle had told her, but Sarah's mind was made up. God would have to take over now.
A crisp, November Saturday, Heavenly Hair was buzzing as usual. Located in Stillwater, a small Minnesota river town, the salon was the central hot spot for gossiping and mulling over current affairs. Women from all walks of life patronized the shop, which always meant a lively discussion. An astute businesswoman, Halle Jones had created the ultimate one-stop shop for hair, coffee, and good civic conversation. Customers would stop in, sip their mochas, have their hair done, and catch up with friends. As chair of the town's League of Women Voters, Halle always had an issue on the table. She loved a good debate and allowed for all opinions, so as not to offend any customer. Sarah thought it an unrealistic idea for a hair salon, yet Halle pulled it off. The women loved it.
The shop was set up in a circular fashion, with eight hairstyling chairs around a café area, so the women could chat with other friends while getting haircuts. The walls were a deep-mustard color, bordered by a light-green trim that created a springlike warmth. Dried roses and antiques were scattered about, and smooth jazz mingled with the sounds of hair dryers and cackling voices.
As Sarah applied hair spray to her first client of the day, the ladies began to stir about the upcoming presidential elections. Senator Bob Wheeler and Governor Jeb Harris were the leading candidates preparing to compete for the Oval Office. Outgoing President Brown would leave a staggering deficit and a world order that was, as one of the customers had put it, “nowhere near orderly.”
“Senator Wheeler is my man,” said one of the ladies. “He will cut taxes and stop the wasteful spending!”
“You think a child's education is a waste?” another snapped. “If Wheeler is elected, you can be sure the children will be left behind!”
“That is not true,” said the first woman. “Schools can get by on a lot less.”
“No, they can't. You're wrong!”
“Yes, they can! You are wrong!”
“I hope they don't run another dirty election,” said another, as she examined her new haircut. “I'm sick of these guys always slamming each other. It's disgusting.”
“They don't care about the issues,” said Sarah. “They just want to play the game.”
“Oh, Sarah,” said Halle with a grimace. “Some of them care. You always look at the negative side.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows. “And what side of politics is positive?”
“When the elections are over!” another customer said, laughing.
“Hey, this is the best country in the world,” Halle said emphatically. “Our democracy is what's good about it!”
“What democracy?” moaned Sarah. “The one that money buys? The one that is driven by well-financed, organized interests who have access to Congress? Do you know that when I first went to D.C. as a citizen and tried to see my representatives, they didn't have time for me? They were always out to lunch with high-paid lobbyists who ensured their reelection. The people are not in the driver's seat in this democracy.”
“There you go again with your idealism,” said Halle. “Maybe this is as good as it gets.” She grinned to remind Sarah that she loved her no matter what.
“What we do in this country affects the whole world,” said Sarah. “We can do better than this—a lot better.”
“I agree!” shouted one of the ladies. “If we don't set an example of a clean, true democracy, how can we expect the rest of the world to do so?”
“That's right!” said Sarah. “Let's show them that we want to create a world where people's well-being is more important than money, where the Earth is revered and peace is more popular than war. It's time.” She noticed herself becoming alive again and began to feel the familiar butterflies that flapped about her insides whenever she got the urge to fix things.
“Sounds like you still have it in you to save the world after all,” Halle chided.
“No,” Sarah grumbled. “I'm done with that. It's God's turn.”
“God's turn?” said one of the ladies as she swiveled her chair around to get a better view of the discussion. “What on earth do you mean?”
“I think it's time for God to step in before—” Sarah stopped. She didn't wish to reveal her youthful nightmare of the world's demise with the customers. Suddenly, strange words fell out of her mouth. “Maybe God should come down and run for president.”
“God for president!” Halle exclaimed. “Now, there's an idea that's sure to happen.”
“If God were president, what would things be like?” Sarah asked curiously. Everyone fell silent, pondering the unusual question.
“Imagine it,” Sarah continued. “People would think twice before they acted. Laws would be made with love. The water would be clean again. The fighting and wars would cease. God would never allow these atrocities!” Sarah felt shaky and out of breath as a strange, spiritual feeling began to arise within her.
“I thought you had given up on God,” Halle remarked.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah regained control. “I did. I'm just saying, if it were possible—but it's not, so forget it.”
Sarah began to feel uncomfortable. All this talk of God painfully reminded her that she had broken her promise to help save the planet. She quickly gathered her things and made her way toward the door. “I'm going down to the river. I need some air.”
10.
A DREAM COME TRUE
HEAVEN HAS arrived? The butterflies in Sarah's stomach fluttered all the way home.What is going on?
“You can have my bedroom,” Sarah told Mary as they walked through her tiny house. She wished she had a guest bedroom to offer this heavenly woman.
“No, no, I will take the couch.”
“Oh no, I couldn't let you. You'll sleep better in the bedroom. It's quieter.”
“I can sleep anywhere, anytime!” said Mary. “Just tell me your hopes and dreams, and I will sleep ever so sweetly.”
“I don't dream for things anymore,” Sarah said, a trace of despair in her voice. “Shall I make some tea?” She moved toward the kitchen as Mary followed.
“No dreams?” said Mary, looking perplexed. She sat down at the small breakfast table as Sarah boiled water. “Everyone has dreams, dear; that's what life is made of. Dreams create what we desire to see in our world. Well, without dreams there would be no world, actually. How else do you suppose we got here?”
“Evolution,” Sarah replied with little conviction.
“Do you really believe that?” Mary asked as she gazed into Sarah's bright-blue eyes. “When you look deep into a rose or at the intricacies of a butterfly, do you think ‘beauty’ or ‘evolution'? Do you feel that they just came out of nowhere or out of a magnificent dream? When you see a baby and look deep into its eyes, do you think of a greater spirit or of how this child was scientifically maneuvered to birth itself?” Mary's face glowed as she spoke.
Sarah poured the tea and shrugged. “I'm not sure of anything anymore. I'm rather complacent these days. I used to dream of many things, yet they never came true. So, I stopped believing. A lot of people have.”
“What didn't come true, Sarah?”
“For one, the world isn't at peace. There is war going on all over the place, and crime is sky high! People don't seem to want peace.”
“None of the people?” Mary asked.
“A lot of folks want it but not enough to stop war or end violence.”
“I believe that everyone desires peace,” Mary said firmly. “They use whatever tactics they think will bring that about. A murderer wants peace in his soul, but because his anger is stronger than his heart, he chooses to hurt someone to feel better. In a way, it releases his own hurt and pain to inflict it on someone else. Have you ever done that? Hurt someone with words or actions because you were hurting?”
“Yes, I suppose,” said Sarah. “I shouldn't have though.”
“But you did.”
Sarah looked hard at Mary. “Would you like cream or sugar?”
“No, thank you.” Mary sipped her tea slowly. “So, how many times?”
How many times? thought Sarah. What does it matter?
“It matters a lot,” Mary said, reading her thoughts. “We keep repeating the same behavior when we judge ourselves for it.”
“How did you know what I was thinking?” Sarah pulled away from Mary's reach. “Who are you? How do you know everything about me?”
“I am what they call ‘tuned in,”’ Mary said compassionately. “I understand if it's bothering you. I just know that some things deeply trouble you.”
“How do you know what troubles me?” Sarah asked, her fear subsiding as she felt the warmth of Mary's apology.
“Because what troubles you troubles most everyone. People everywhere ask, ‘Why are things so bad?’ or ‘Why does it have to be this way?’ People want to believe that love is the answer, that peace is possible, and that God is truly listening. Herein lie their troubles.”
“What do you mean?”
“Unless we fully believe, it cannot happen. It's the law of the cosmos.”
“Huh?” Sarah began to wonder if Mary was one of those New Age psychics they had down at the rock shop.
“It's all very simple, the grand plan of things, that is. What you believe, you will see. What you focus on expands.” Mary was now dancing about the room, her arms reaching to the sky. “This creation is so wondrous—heaven on Earth!”
“We hardly have heaven here,” Sarah said soberly.
“Do you wholeheartedly believe that?”
Sarah's eyes began to tear. “I was in New York the day the World Trade Center exploded, Mary. I didn't know what was happening. I just assumed that the world was meeting its final moment. In my despair, I promised God that we would change if he just gave us a second chance. For a moment, I saw what I thought looked like heaven. I heard a surreal voice, too. I wish I could remember it, but I've erased all celestial imaginings from my mind. My therapist told me I'd been delusional. Anyway, after that day, I truly believed our country's leaders would do the right thing, but I was gravely mistaken. I stopped hoping for anything even resembling heaven.”
Mary touched Sarah's shoulder with a look of tender interest.
“This world doesn't want heaven, Mary; it wants hell.” Sarah froze. Had she really said hell? She hadn't realized the depths of her negativity.
“I understand your perception,” Mary offered. “Things often appear to be a certain way. Maybe a good rest will transform your perspective. Let's retire, shall we?”
Sarah nodded in agreement as she prepared the couch for Mary.
“Just for tonight,” said Mary, taking Sarah's hands, “dream that love is carrying the world. Maybe then your dreams can come true.”
Sarah felt a tingle of hope. With Mary Love on hand, maybe they would.
11.
OH, MY GOD
WHEN SARAH awoke the next morning, she felt lighter. As she tried to recall the details of the night's dreams, a sense of peace filled her. Suddenly, she remembered her houseguest, someone who definitely knew peace; in fact, she was overflowing with it. Maybe today Sarah would tell Mary about her lifelong fear of the world's demise and her current reluctance to do anything about it. Mary could help her make sense of things.
Eager to see Mary's glow again, Sarah flew out of bed and skipped to the living room. The couch was all made up, and Mary was not around.
“Mary, I'm up. Where are you?”
Sarah looked around for Mary's luggage and then recalled that she hadn't brought any. She poked her head in the bathroom and saw a note on the mirror.
Dear Sarah,
I am so glad we had some time together again after all these years.
I hope you will always dream what is possible and never give up hope.
Trust that love always wins!
Thank you for your kind hospitality.
Love, Mary
Grabbing her jacket, Sarah ran for the door. I must find her! There is so much more to talk about. Why did she leave so quickly? She jumped into her car and slid down the driveway, barely missing the neighbor's newly painted fence. She tore down the street, causing the birds to scatter in a flurry above the lampposts.
Sarah stopped all over town. Surely someone would have seen Mary getting breakfast or the morning paper. She even visited the salon, hoping Mary might have gone back, but the ladies had not seen her. Finally, she went home with the hope that Mary had simply gone out walking and would now be waiting for her. Sarah raced inside and called out for Mary, but the house was empty. She was alone.
Sarah sat for hours reading Mary's note over and over, hoping there was some hidden message indicating that they would see each other again. She felt paralyzed as she realized how Mary had touched her heart and was now gone forever. What would she do with all that she felt? The rekindled hope she had awakened with now began to fade. She turned on the television to catch The Sharon Collins Show—the only American talk show with any integrity, in Sarah's opinion. The program was ending, with highlights for the next week.
Next week on The Sharon Collins Show: How you can help save the Earth?: A special interview with Guardians of Nature and their quest to involve you in preserving America's natural environment. And a very special look at a mysterious figure praying over the Grand Canyon: is she some kind of angel with a message for us? Join us Monday on Sharon Collins.
“That's Mary!” Sarah shrieked as the video of the Grand Canyon rolled across the screen. “Oh, my God.”
12.
ANGELS TAG ALONG
GABRIEL AND Raphael were dumbstruck when they saw that God would be on national television. This was certainly not what God had had in mind for her first public appearance. People would never believe that Mary Love had actually hiked to the top of the Grand Canyon. How would she announce her candidacy now? Something had to be done, and fast.
“I told you God would need our help,” Gabriel said as they peered through the gazing glass, watching events unfold on Earth. “I bet she doesn't even know what's going on. C'mon, let's go! She'll be grateful to us.”
Raphael hesitated. Somehow, Gabriel had a way of putting things that swayed her, yet this time she wasn't sure. God had specified that this was a solo act, and she must honor that, yet she, too, felt a discomfort with the way the incarnation was going. They had not seen Mary Love now for a whole day and were dying of curiosity. If all didn't go well, God could always send them back.
“Okay,” said Raphael. “God may need us. It's our duty to find out. I will put Uriel in charge then meet you at the Great Lady.”
And off they flew.
The Great Lady was the angels’ favorite American icon. Whenever they came to America, it was always their first stop, for it reminded them of the original quest for freedom that had made America flourish. The humans had named her the “Statue of Liberty,” symbolizing something that Americans had lived and died for—freedom. But to the angels, she was much more.
The great American symbol could have been a man holding a gun, saying, “Don't even think about it,” yet the statue was of a woman holding a torch of light. With a crown like a queen and a flame of fire in her hand, the Lady was the embodiment of the feminine spirit. She stood strong and tall, like a great goddess, saying, “We shall stand for truth, justice, and love. We will make a country based on integrity and human worth. We can live without domination, in the light of freedom. We can flourish in peace. We can be whomever we choose to be.”
As Gabriel and Raphael each arrived, they paid homage to the Great Lady with white roses and garlands of lace around her crown. They sang American hymns and blew their golden trumpets to honor her glory and remind her of her true mission. She smiled at them, and they gleefully rejoiced in her grandeur.
Peering through the gazing glass with great interest, they began their search for Mary Love. After several minutes, Mary finally appeared. She was heading toward New York on a Harley with a leather-clad biker hanging on behind her. She was smiling and singing some song about being on the road again.
“Now what do we do?” Raphael asked Gabriel with a look of curiosity. “Pull up next to her and drag race?”
Gabriel chuckled. “Let's keep an eye on her for now. We'll know when to make ourselves known. Let's get a hotel room and start integrating into Earth life. It will all work out.”
Raphael was not so sure.
The angels found a room at a quaint spot in SoHo and settled into Earth life. They loved to pretend they were humans, acting in ways only humans could, expressing the full range of emotions, dressing up in all types of clothes, from designer to rags, and, of course, driving every type of car possible. They didn't use gasoline but, rather, summoned the Great Wind for power as they sped cross-country from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Golden Gate. They spent the day taking it all in at coffee shops and pubs, health-food stores and fast-food restaurants. At the day's close, they ended up back in New York, sipping hot chocolate in Times Square and peering through the glass in search of Mary Love.
“She's in town now,” said Gabriel to Raphael, who was engrossed by the neon signs and giant billboards, “at a bar in Brooklyn, talking to a group of bikers. She's telling them how the country needs new leadership, new blood. Of course, they are agreeing, clinking their beer mugs and cheering her on. Now they're asking her who could possibly lead America back on track, and she's saying she knows just the answer. ‘A woman,’ she is shouting, and now they are all going silent and setting their mugs back on the table. It appears to be mostly men. We had better get over there now, Raphael.”
About to leave the glass, he stopped. “Wait! Now a couple of women are emerging from the group. ‘Right on, Mary! You go, girl,’ they are saying, slapping her back. ‘A woman will know how to fix things around here. We should give one a chance. Why not? If she rocks, she ought to enter the race and give those bums a run for their money!’
“Now the men are actually looking somewhat interested. Love is talking again, asking them to consider her as a possible candidate. She says she wants government to be for the people again. They're cheering her, even some of the men! Now they're making little signs on the bar napkins that say ‘Love for President,’ and spouting how catchy her name is. I can't believe it! She's winning them over.”
“Of course, she is!” said Raphael. “I told you a woman would be fine. Oh, let's go back to Heaven, Gabriel, before God finds out we're here.” Raphael still felt uneasy about disobeying God's wishes.
“She might be okay with these men, but the men in Washington will be an altogether different story. Believe me, I have seen what they can do as I have helped over the years. They can be quite destructive if they like!”
“This is God, remember?” emphasized Raphael. “Mary Love is no ordinary woman. Besides, she will show women what they can do and that they must stand up for truth! Love will prevail over these so-called ‘destructive’ types, Gabriel. It always does. C'mon let's go.” Raphael started to leave as Gabriel made one last attempt to change her mind.
“Remember, The Sharon Collins Show is tomorrow. You have always wanted to meet her. This is your big chance! You could thank her personally for what she's done for women on Earth. Just think, Collins showing Mary Love to the world. It will be a once-in-an-angel-time chance! One more day, Raphael; just one more day?”
Raphael smiled. One more day couldn't hurt. After all, angels don't always have the chance to see two powerful women take on the world.