Allysa, I love your story: A stressful moment, struggling with something you weren't enjoying very much, and then boom! A line from a hymn, and clarity. I bet we can all benefit from your epiphany—"I don’t need to hold my faith and experience of God up in comparison with anyone else’s. In fact the ways in which I experience the divine are good and wonderful.â€ Thanks for sharing it!

Claire, I'm glad you found Halfway to Normal, too. :)

Amie, if I didn't know better I would think you were describing me here: "I spent a great deal of my life trying to control everything because I thought no one else would." How wonderful that you're on the journey away from that approach to life.

Patti B., that's wonderful that your conversations with God and the epiphanies have become so natural and frequent. I wonder if that's something we can all work toward, as we practice being more open and attentive.

the holly, it sounds like you've been able to really hone in on the problem-moments in your life (challenged values and transitions), which seems to be a big part of understanding and being OK with temporary darkness. I hope you have also seen moments of hope and light, and that the dark times aren't too overwhelming and frequent.

Kimber, that's too funny about the shower, but it completely makes sense to me. My epiphanies rarely happen when I'm sitting still, trying to write or think. They almost always come when I'm half-busy doing something else that doesn't require much brain power. Anyway, good for you, for listening to your heart and acting on it, and for getting your degree (for the right reasons!).