The longer I live, it becomes increasingly clear to me that there are no

mistakes. Everything we do simply fits into the larger tapestry of life.

What at one moment seems like a mistake or grievous error from the

broader perspective of a lifetime fits in. There are detours and roads

that led me away from my stated goal but all of these are just part of

the greater path. Each one of these contributes to the threads which

make up the patchwork that has become my life. Every turn, every

twist and bend in the road has brought its own contribution to the

emergence of my Soul.

Of course, there are things I wish I had not done or had done

differently. In the mid 1980’s I had four speeding tickets in a three year

span. I could easily have done without the fines and especially the hike

in insurance rates. But I am now a better and slower driver who hasn’t

had a ticket in a decade. Each experience is a beacon, a light on the

path, calling me to pay more attention, use greater discernment and

awareness in each moment. The beacons now point the way. They light

the path helping me to not walk off cliffs which were so common in my

younger years. But even those cliff walk offs I now see as simply part

of it all. Each one taught me a lesson, a lesson without which I would

not be who I am today. That does not mean they are easy. In fact many

these experiences have been painful. But each and every one of them

has in its own way been a teacher.

I spent three and one half years in seminary and four years as a

minister in the United Methodist Church. There was no place I

belonged less than in a religious institution. Primarily, in the immediate

sense, it was a disaster. And yet it is part of what makes me who I

am. And I would not have it be different. Seminary taught me to read

difficulty philosophy and theology preparing me for studies that are

important today. And church experience taught me discernment about

where I belong and from where I need to flee which is a very good skill

to have. It was not a mistake to be there although the experience was

painful and difficult.

The Soul takes a view from the perspective of an entire lifetime and

incorporates each experience into the greater path. It embraces all

experiences. In that sense there are no mistakes.