I did my first prepress promotion event yesterday for Unbreakable Healer, Dr. Mabel E. Elliott’s biography. St. Catherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in West Palm Beach was opening their annual Greek festival. As I approached the church, I looked up and saw a lone white dove perched on the telephone wire above. I took it as a good omen.
I handed out postcards about the book and Dr. Elliott, and everybody was most interested. They all knew of the burning of Smyrna in 1922 but had no idea of Dr. Elliott’s role in organizing and directing the medical relief for the Greek and Armenian refugees.
I met some fellow writers and gave them helpful tips and contacts. A couple I sat next to were intrigued by Dr. Elliott’s story. The woman mentioned that their writing club had ceased because the organizer had passed away. So I agreed to help her get it started again. Her husband then suddenly took his phone and showed me a photograph “When we walked in, there was this white dove on the wires—does it mean something?” I replied, “Yes, it does.”
Later I did an excellent tour of the church. The woman who conducted it was so knowledgeable about the symbolism in the church and also about Christianity—the nuances of the Greek Orthodox Church are fascinating. I also met up with an old friend—George Matsoukas, whom I worked with for several years at Palm Beach State College. He was conducting the subsequent tour of the church.
I love symbolism, especially when I am writing. When writing each of my books, I have had these experiences of being touched by coincidences, clues, dreams, and symbols like this one. I listen to what they say to me.