Transported in Spirit

Following graduation from high school, I traveled to Utah, the Mecca for Mormons. (I had recently been baptized LDS.) I loved church. I loved belonging; however, I didn’t like being told what to think and how to act and how to live. I wanted to live close to God, because I loved Him, but I didn’t want to be told what to do by church authorities. I didn’t make the connection that guidance may help me reach my goal of living at one with God.

Attending a university in Utah, I discovered the writings of Gandhi and a new world opened up before me. I read every word I could find that he wrote. I stayed in the dorms during school breaks, curled up in a corner of the library and read and read. I read everything possible on Gandhi, moving on to Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Eckhart. I began to try and emulate the ideals I read about and to live a simpler, non-materialistic life. I wanted a cause to be a part of and embrace. I had church, but I wanted to help the world.

Walking and jogging around Salt Lake City, I felt sorry for the people who had to live behind gates to keep people away from their collected possessions. People seemed to spend an exorbitant amount of time collecting and then caring for possessions. I believed that life offered more than this. I grew to spend more time in prayer. As I prayed I felt God’s love like a cloak surround me and hug me… I stayed in prayer bathing in God’s love for hours. There was nothing else I wanted to do but commune with God, to serve God, to ultimately be with God. Prayer transported me – stopped time and filled my soul with a powerful love that words cannot describe.