Miracle Jeopardy
Becoming aware involves not just noticing what is around us
but being open to the possibility that there may be something more to see.
-The Miracle Collectors
We've learned a lot from the people who shared their miracle stories with us. One of them is that sometimes the miracle you get, isn't the miracle you actually asked for. And yet, with our acceptance, it can be a miracle nonetheless. It's a lesson reminding us to expand our thinking and to be aware of the possibility of a miracle lurking in unexpected places.
I found this to be true in soliciting book endorsements, my least favorite task leading up to publication of The Miracle Collectors. Even though I am passionate about the book's message, approaching people I didn't know and asking for a favor that I knew would take them time and effort was outside my comfort level. While I had been a good Girl Scout cookie salesgirl in my youth, at least at the end of the day, my customers would have a cookie to enjoy. This was different, it wasn't my friendly neighbors I was approaching but well-respected celebrities in their own world, who were surely already over-committed in their own projects. But since the subject of miracles takes us out of the ordinary, it was an opportunity for me to exercise miracle courage and take a risk.
On a practical level the first thing you need is a method of making contact. While this may sound easy in today's digital world, it is not always as straightforward as it should be. After reaching numerous dead ends with one particular potential endorser, I asked around to see if anyone might know him. I was referred to a gentleman I had met and exchanged pleasantries with in the past who at least would likely read an email I sent with a request for the contact info for his friend. Gathering my courage, I asked for the introduction. What I received in return was far better than the endorsement I thought I was after - it was the gift of a wonderful miracle story written as a postscript to his email response. "PS: My miracle story – my mother got polio when she was 9 months pregnant with me and became paralyzed from the neck down and was placed in an iron lung. This had never happened to someone pregnant before, especially in their last month of pregnancy. But we both made it..." A reminder that miracles are everywhere if we but remember to look and find the courage to ask. (Joan)