Once in a lifetime

Torus Tammer

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Father and daughter authors Tom and Penelope

Pauley cannot stem the enthusiasm they are feeling these days.

Next week, they will hold the first signing of their new book, “I’m

Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams: I am. I am. I am.”

“I’m excited and can’t wait for the signing,” Tom Pauley said. “It

feels very appropriate that this is the first bookstore we are doing a

signing at because Huntington Beach is where we wrote the book.”

The former Huntington Beach residents will sign copies of their new

book at 2 p.m. Sept. 23 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Edinger Avenue.

Tom Pauley said he is enthusiastic about what he has learned, and he

gleefully shares the stories of the book’s inception, which are just as

mysterious as the book’s secrets. This story begins with an ancient tale.

According to Native American lore, when a hawk lands near a person, it

is said to be an attempt by the gods to puncture the ethereal screen that

separates heaven and earth, so as to deliver a message to the earthbound.

If the hawk reappears with its mate, then the message is said to be of

the utmost importance.

In August 1995, while at a beach near Seal Island with family and

friends, and after just being told these tales, Tom Pauley stood in

disbelief as everyone present watched a hawk land 10 feet from him. The

hawk quickly departed and before anyone had time to think much about the

occurrence, the hawk reappeared with its mate.

Skeptical -- and a little disconcerted -- he had no idea what to make

of the incident.

“I don’t believe in superstition, but whatever the source of this

remarkable play of nature, it did get my attention,” he said. “This set

the scene for a night that eventually changed my life forever.”

Later that evening while barbecuing at a friend’s place, the Pauley

family met their host’s neighbor, Marilyn Umbach. A self-proclaimed

prosperity teacher, Umbach walked over behind Tom Pauley, who now lives

in San Clemente, and told him she had received a message that she “needed

to meet him” and that she also had information for him.

“I was not ready for this,” he said. “The hawks, the message, the

psychic hotline, none of it.”

This mysterious woman said she had helped many people get what they

had wanted in life and that she felt strongly that she had a special

message for him. It took several months of apprehension before he would

finally call and make an appointment too see Umbach. What he proceeded to

learn over time was a behavioral philosophy that he said helped him

achieve financial and spiritual wealth.

An awareness washed over Tom Pauley, who had stumbled across a system

that brought everything together -- money, success and happiness. He

began to expect to get back what he gave to the universe.

“I stopped trying to force everything,” he said. “The hardest job in

the world is getting out of the way.”

After enjoying the fruits of this key to prosperity, he set out to

write a few pages about what he had learned and shared it with his

friends.

But to his surprise, a book began to take shape. It was at that point

he brought his daughter into the mix.

Penelope Pauley, 27, graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a

bachelor’s degree in film with an emphasis in creative writing. Also a

practitioner of this method for prosperity, she said she and her father

felt it was their turn to help people achieve their goals.

“This book can be used in any facet of your life,” said Penelope

Pauley, who now lives in Aliso Viejo. “It’s for people who don’t

intuitively know how to get what they want and, rather than being

complicated, it’s easy to read and accessible.”

Tom Pauley is proud of his work.

“This book wrote itself,” he said. “It’s very satisfying to share this

knowledge with people and greatly rewarding to get e-mail responses to

the book from all around the country.”

The book’s impetus, Umbach, now 70, said the father-and-daughter team

will carry the message on long after she is gone.

“They are doing a great job with their book, which is essentially an

explanation of cause and effect,” Umbach said. “I feel that they are

going to become key figures and help teach many people.”

FYI

Tom and Penelope Pauley will sign their book at 2 p.m., Sept. 23 at

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach.

Information: (714) 897-8781.