Becoming: All you were born to be

By Melinda Carbis-Reilly

Lisa had it all. A loving husband. Two adoring children. A thriving wedding planning business. Until a motor vehicle collision left her fighting for her life in the ICU.

But it was no accident.

Becoming unfolds the stories of three women from different worlds, each seeking meaning and purpose. Their destinies remain mysteriously and tightly interwoven.

Danni struggles to understand the perplexing gift she holds in her hands.

Larisa summons the courage to listen to the voice speaking to her with startling clarity.

Lisa confronts her fears to embrace wisdom gleaned from beyond--even when it threatens to cost everything she holds most precious.

From Australia to India, "Becoming" crosses continents and cultures, and traverses the chasm between material and spiritual realms. Entangled souls collide on karmic pathways, transcending multiple lifetimes.

A deeply mystical tale, "Becoming" will inspire anyone searching to make sense of the human experience or struggling to hold on to hope in turbulent times.

Will each of the three women have what it takes to become all they were born to be?

Here's a more important question.

Will you?

Because ultimately, "Becoming" is not about these three women.

It's a story about you.

What others are saying about "Becoming"...

A mystical patchwork of a story that builds and culminates into a satisfying reveal that will make your heart race and your skin tingle.

-Brent Spencer

Becoming is a banger. From the moment go I was hooked on this incredible, addictive and compelling story. An easy, juicy yet simple book with a deep underlying, and important message. In short, this book reminded me of one of my favourite stories of all times... the alchemist. Do yourself the favour..

-Meg Linton

Oh my gosh, I could not put this book down from the moment I started to read it! The story follows the lives of three special women and their journey on spiritual awakening, you will fall in love with each character. It will take you on a journey that will leave you appreciating life and how special each day is. I absolutely LOVE this story and I am so proud of Melinda putting her magic to paper. It is a very special book that will touch the lives of many.

-Cheryelle King

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781456638108

Book preview

Prologue

Larisa gazed at her laptop screen. She took a deep breath and opened her email. This is it, she thought. This is what I have to do. She attached her manuscript and typed;

Dear Editor,

Please find enclosed my manuscript for your perusal. This book came to me enigmatically, the only way to explain it is to read it for yourself. None of these words are my own.

I learned every human experience is a gift. If you share a fleeting moment or a lifetime with another… neither is more precious. This is the story of a person who changed my life, although we didn’t meet until they died.

Enjoy reading.

Larisa.

She hovered the cursor over the send button and read her own words. She hesitated, allowing the thought to cross her mind how she’d respond herself if this story was to land in her inbox. Would she believe it? Would she think the writer was a lunatic? Possibly. Larisa swept back her short blonde hair into her interlaced fingers and reclined in her office chair. As she leaned into her palms she thought for another moment. The ridicule she had already received from her family hadn’t deterred her so what’s a few more people thinking she’s one step off a straight jacket? She knew the story before her was true. She hadn’t made it up. These words had poured out of her at the most inconvenient times and she’d fact-checked them with the living characters. Well, real people. These were real people that could confirm all that she’d written. Larisa leaned forward once again and held the mousse,

‘Alright woman, you got this, now hit it,’ She said aloud to herself and clicked send.

‘Ben, I did it honey!’ She shouted to her husband.

‘Well done babe. Now let’s get you an exorcism’ he teased calling out from the lounge room.

Larisa chuckled, closed her laptop, and left the story in the hands of the editor she was instructed to send it to.

As she stood, she glanced up with gratitude, ‘Thank you for sharing your beautiful story dear soul’ Larisa smiled and left the room, her work was done.

Becoming

Lisa threw her handbag across the car and placed a bottle of Moet with more consideration on the passenger side before falling into the driver’s seat. She started her White Toyota Kluger and dialed her best friend’s number. The phone rang and went to voicemail as she reversed from the jammed underground carpark with tyres squeaking on the smooth concrete finish. She looked at her watch, 3.15pm, dam, late again! She thought and prayed for no traffic.

‘Hey Sarah, I’m running late. So sorry. I’m picking the kids up now and taking Luke to soccer and Ivy to piano practice’ She said apologetically then became playful, ‘I will be there in an hour with a bottle of bubbles, you my friend are in charge of the music. Get it pumping girl!’ She hung up with a smile laced with pride and excitement. Today was her fifth anniversary since opening the doors of her wedding planning business. She’d worked tirelessly, squeezing every second out of her days to give all she had to her family and her work. Today, she deserved to get a little loose with her best friend.

Lisa requested Siri call Royal Wedding Services and a voice answered promptly, ‘Hey boss, thought you were having an afternoon to celebrate? This better be important you workaholic control freak’ Jasmine said in their usual fun banter. Jasmine had been working with Lisa since the fledgling business was in its first days, their relationship had grown into a sisterly love.

‘I know’ Lisa responded rolling her eyes and grinning at the truth of her statement, ‘I just needed to let you know Morgan and Billy are picking up their flowers at five so please make sure they’re ready’

‘I’ve got it, don’t stress. Oh and while I’ve got you, a ridiculously beautiful woman just dropped in your make-up case, she said you dropped it in the lift’.

‘Oh yes, I noticed her. Piercing eyes, legs to her ears, flawless skin, and beautiful hair... totally know who you’re talking about. She made me realize I need more than a makeup case!’ Lisa said with a giggle in her tone but a clenching in her throat as she felt a jealous pang at the beautiful stranger’s elegance. ‘I’ll get it tomorrow, oh and can you reinstate my gym membership? She also made me realize I haven’t been for five months!’ Lisa requested guiltily.

‘Oh stop it Lisa, you’re beautiful inside and out,’ Jasmine said sharply.

Lisa scoffed at the comment as she judged her oversized breasts and thighs full of dimples. How did this happen? she thought like I was so focused on my work I forgot about my body until I woke up one day needing to buy three sizes bigger. Lisa shook her head in the judgment of her neglect as she pulled out of the carpark and squeezed between cars to enter the traffic. As she coasted up to the red traffic light, she shifted the rear-view mirror toward her face and looked sadly at the age lines under her once shining now dull blue eyes. She positioned the mirror back and flicked her long blonde ponytail off her broad shoulders. 

‘Thanks Jasmine, see you tomorrow,’ Lisa said becoming distracted with all the other small tasks required of her this afternoon before she could finally sit with Sarah and celebrate getting through her first five years in business.

Lisa hung up the phone as the light turned green and moved with the flowing traffic. She fumbled around in her handbag for her to-do list to see what else she could tackle whilst driving, she requested Siri call Pete her husband and the phone began to ring. Pete answered just as she found her to-do list and noticed the amber light was now red. She slammed her foot down to find the break only to mistake it for the accelerator, the car fled into the intersection. Recognizing her error she repositioned her foot connecting it to the break. The car screeched and turned slightly as it stopped abruptly in the middle of the intersection. She gasped with shock and relief.

‘Baby what’s going on?’ Pete asked after he sat in silence waiting for his wife to talk.

Just as Lisa began to find reverse to re-join the waiting traffic and explain her mistake to her worried husband, she heard screeching tires and a horn beeping, she looked up to see a 4WD coming straight for her. It felt like the world was in slow motion as she watched the car smash into her door, she felt her body jolt toward the passenger side with intense force and slam into the window, smashing her head through the glass.

The Light (I)

‘Where am I?’ Lisa asked as she felt a strange lightness to her body. She was surrounded by a glorious soft light. She felt peaceful, a sensation she was unaccustomed to.

There was silence. Strangely, she didn’t feel uneasy not knowing where she was or how she got there. An overwhelming sense of ease and comfort was drowning out her need for answers. She began to explore slowly, looking around, but there was nothing to see, it was the most unusual experience. Lisa closed her eyes and breathed deeply wondering, what this feeling was? It was love, joy, and bliss, it was exhilarating and calming all at once.

As she was trying to analyze the sensations a deep husky voice interrupted her thoughts; ‘You can’t use your mind to understand this Lisa’

Lisa opened her eyes to see a figure of a man standing with a light build in front of her. His skin was luminous, eyes sparkling amidst a gentleness to his presence.

Again she was surprised by her response. She wasn’t afraid or shocked, only curious.

‘Are you God?’ She asked with no real connection or concern to the answer.

The man laughed, ‘No Lisa, I’m more of a teacher, a guide if you will. Call me Sunny’.

‘Did I die?’ She asked, again puzzled by her lack of concern for the answer.

‘You would think so, wouldn’t you? You’re standing but not standing on anything. You are seeing but not really seeing anything in particular and you feel a peace you have never felt before. It doesn’t really sound like you’re still on Earth, does it?’

‘It doesn’t no’

Sunny lifted both arms out wide like he had wings. As he expanded them, she felt a wave of energy brush against her chest, it felt similar to a gentle breeze only it soaked in, touching her deeply. As she felt the wave upon her, she remembered her car accident. She remembered her husband’s voice on the phone, her panic when she saw the car coming toward her, and her head slamming into the window.

Sunny interrupted her memory, ‘Lisa if you were dead, you wouldn’t still have your analytical mind. But