July 5, 2026
Our priest wants us to describe our experience of God, how we were changed. I first did so in a newsletter reflection in May 2024, but I want to express not just the four encounters their impact. How do I describe such life-changing events? There is nothing even close to the emotional power, the stunning shock of the divine being revealed to me. The closest comparison I can think of was when I first saw the Grand Canyon after coming from my flat coastal home. To walk to the edge, eyes shielded, and to drop my hand was knee-buckling. There were no words.
The encounter with the power of God was infinitely greater, overwhelming, almost more than I could bear. A person sitting 10 feet away noticed nothing. The simple message in my mind: “All will be well.” The words were silent, not audible but within, not something scientifically provable, repeatable, nor testable. I was utterly speechless. I’m a calm person of scientific interests and logic. This was not something I heard at church or read about. This was for me, timely and specific for what was about to occur next day between my wife and I. I joyously thought it was telling me that my fragile second marriage would work out. But the next day my wife left me without explanation. I never found out why.
I was shattered. What could the message mean, I wondered? I received three more contacts from the divine that were direct, succinct, and reassuring. There have since been no others with such power, but now I KNOW there is a loving and personal God. I can’t unknow it. I was given what I needed, saved from a brief but emotionally damaging marriage. In time I recovered and eventually remarried my earlier wife, who I still loved. We were together for 28 years, thanks to God’s mercy. Things did turn out well, but not pain-free nor how I had envisioned. Life was still hard sometimes, but healthier and more loving. I am grateful for what I have been given, even challenging things that molded me.
