Coincidence Is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous: Reflections on Daytime Dramas and Divine Intervention

by Gloria Loring

"I loved Gloria's autobiography about coincidence. It is thoughtful, thought provoking, and inspirational."
―Dr. Daniel Amen , New York Times bestselling author

Ten million daily viewers loved her as Liz Chandler on the soap opera Days of Our Lives . Yet while the cameras rolled and the fictional plotline for Days unfolded each day, Loring was quietly wrestling with her own real-life dramas―the diagnosis of her young son's diabetes, the unraveling of her marriage, and a nagging inner voice from childhood that told her something was wrong. Coincidence Is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous is Loring's spiritual exploration of how coincidence helped her make sense of life's challenges and uncertainties.  

Coincidence helped her raise $1 million for diabetes research; it arrived in the form of mysterious letters during her separation and eventual divorce from actor-writer Alan Thicke; and it helped her discover and then heal from the trauma of long-forgotten childhood sexual abuse. It also brought her a chance encounter with the man she is married to today.

With eloquence and humor, Loring takes readers on a quest for a deeper understanding of life's journey and the role coincidence plays in all of our lives, revealing that even the most difficult circumstances can be beneficial. Her experiences may be just the evidence readers need to begin watching more closely what they are attracting and what they are running from in their own lives. While coincidences may appear to come out of the blue, Loring suggests that we can all play a starring role in their appearance. 

"For years, I'd been waiting for someone else to make (my life) better. You'd have thought I was starring in "The Perils of Pauline." In truth, I wasn't a victim, I was a volunteer. . . . Coincidence gave me an experience of the lesson I needed to You don't have to wait for someone to save you." From Coincidence Is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2012

Reviews

[Deborah Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Gloria Loring is a well-known actress and singer, she is also a down-to-earth, compassionate woman who shares her healing story. In sharing her joys and her painful life experiences, as well as the emotional and spiritual insights she gained, she teaches that healing is possible for anyone willing to do the hard work of inner exploration. The divine coincidences that came into her life are inspirational - and her courage to understand them, and act on them, are even more inspirational! Powerful life lessons, in an enjoyable read.

[Harrison Rip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gloria is very easily swayed by any con artist who comes her way. This instinct to "go with the flow" probably makes her a better actress but a far worse person to take advice from. HOWEVER, she's right about the fact that coincidences are sometimes people from the afterlife trying to prod us to think about stuff differently, and then she gets into the concept of listening to what our deepest selves are telling us, which is great advice for anyone. So, take all of this book with a grain of salt, and, if you want a better source for what Gloria is going for, check out Oriah Mountain Dreamer's books.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently had the opportunity to read Gloria Loring's new book, Coincidence is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous, and as a fan of Days of Our Lives, but more significantly, a fan of good writing, I was not disappointed in the least. Loring perfectly blends anecdotes from her "Days days" with the lessons she learned from them, and the result is a moving work which imparts Loring's world view peppered with her signature sense of humor.

Loring's thesis, as the title suggests, is that there is no such thing as "coincidence" as we generally define it. Coincidence, she maintains, is a Higher Power directing our lives and speaking to us. As a religious person myself, this certainly resonated with me, but Loring's style is so subtly persuasive that I can't imagine even the most hardened atheist not pausing for thought. Most fascinating to me was Loring's use of science to prove her point; she does not shy away from harnessing the logical underpinnings of math and science to show that "coincidence" exists there too.

This isn't simply a textbook, of course; Loring's life has been anything but boring, and she has a knack for learning from each and every one of her experiences. She discusses her son's diabetes; her failed marriage; her popular hit song; her "Days" career; her many friendships which add spark to all of these. One can't help but examing his/her own life in light of this, looking for these small "coincidences" as well.

I applaud Loring for taking the leap and writing this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in improving the Days of their own life. You won't be disappointed.

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so lucky to be among the first to read this certain best-seller. I thought I knew a lot about Gloria Loring, being that she's my mother-in-law and all. I knew she was giving. I knew she was entertaining. I knew she was a character. I knew she was the only person with enough patience to properly implement "time-out" sessions with my sometimes rascal 4 year old. I always knew that this dazzling diva, was also one of the nicest and most caring of all the people I know. After reading Coincidence is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous I learned of many truly remarkable events that shaped the character of this incredible person.

Chapters in, I realized this was a read I wouldn't have wanted to miss, even if I didn't know Gloria or even anything about her. What a journey!

This book has every nugget I hope to get when I sit down and read. Sure you get a fun glimpse of being backstage as a soap opera star and hit recording artist. You also get family, humor, wisdom and spiritual anecdotes that will have you laughing and crying. Gloria's adventures are so much more than you or I would expect. Her autobiography held many surprises for me after a friendship of nearly a decade,and a marriage to her son.

I finished reading and now weeks later I find myself pulling examples from her book out in conversation, finding coincidences peppered through my everyday life events and even seeing the world differently. This is one the most satisfying and fulfilling books I've read.

[Mary Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently went on vacation to celebrate my birthday and had the good sense (or divinely inspired intuition) to bring along Gloria Loring's thought provoking, inspirational, and life-affirming work, COINCIDENCE IS GOD'S WAY OF REMAINING ANONYMOUS. I couldn't have selected a better book to spend time reflecting and getting in touch with deeper levels of myself.

I'd known that Gloria had made an appearance on the Dr. Drew show talking about having been molested as a child, so I thought the book would be a memoir focused mainly on her recovery. I was, therefore, greatly surprised when the subject matter was much broader and far more spiritual than I'd originally thought. In truth, Gloria courageously opened up her life and her heart and shared some of her most intimate life lessons with honesty, humor and insight.

Not only was the book a fascinating read, I resonated deeply with Gloria's ideas and experiences. Her thoughts helped me assess my own past and look forward to living the rest of my life with greater meaning. As a result, COINCIDENCE came back from my trip richly marked with underlined passages and dog-eared pages.

This important work touched and inspired me and I know it will be a constant resource that I'll return to time and again. Check it out… I'm betting you’ll feel the same way!

[Janine Hooley]

I loved Ms Loring when she was on "Days" years ago. I have been through one near death experience in 2010. I have suffered from "survivor's guilt" since then, because after I was "rejected" (my feeling) by God when He sent me back to earth...only to face financial ruin, family issues, and meaningless jobs with no joy. In Gloria's book, I found inspiration, the will to stop "feeling sorry" for myself, and to focus on coincidences as being "whispers" from God. While the financial difficulties continue, I keep Gloria's insightful book nearby to give me strength to better myself. Some days are better than others, but between the Bible and "Coincidence...." keep me steady and I refer to it weekly (sometimes daily). Keep writing Gloria... and folks - read the book...it will touch some if not all parts of your life.

[Margo Dill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria Loring is honest and helpful in her part memoir/part self-help/part inspirational book. She uses examples from her own successful career as an actress and singer to show readers how coincidence worked in her life--especially once she started believing in this. The most touching scenes and sections are when she discusses her family--her two sons--Brennan who had diabetes and Robin who is a successful recording artist. I plan to buy two copies for Mother's Day presents!