Buddhism

     The first time I remember hearing he word Buddhism was probably in school.  I remember my parents always being open-minded about religion but I immediately discounted any religion without God, the Almighty Father and Jesus Christ, his only son.  I had a sense of a lesser faith if those simple things weren't even acknowledged.  I was forming the foundation for my spiritual growth.  My parents did an amazing job of keeping all avenues open.
     I lived near an Air Force Base so we had all kinds of Catholics, Assembly of God, Baptists, Jehovah's Witness, Mormons--even Mennonite and Amish.  Those came from the rural areas, not the Base.  When I took confirmation as a 13-year-old, we attended a Catholic mass (which I had done before).  I loved the church and the ceremony, the smells, the robes the beauty of it was breathtaking but I didn't feel the spirit, I wasn't moved.  So off to the Jewish bar mitzvah.  The boy was cute, I remember that and being so insanely bored I could barely stand it.  It seemed very strange to me but I did feel a sense of importance.  I had been to bible schools and activities at Christian Churches and Baptist churches.  I also attended a black church once.  That was an experience.  I loved it there but realized it wouldn't be the same for me there.  I am way too inhibited to fit into that sort of a service.
     I was a praise leader for a while in our contemporary service at the Methodist church.  That was fun and sometimes I felt connected to the spirit...but not to the people as much.  It seems to me, when praying in church, it is with such vigor, it feels forced.  I prefer to open up and listen and that makes it awkward to be the one chosen to give a prayer.  Prayers did not flow from my lips the way it does from my Dad's or my Mom's, Grandma's, Grammy's.  At this time in my life I was pregnant with my son and starting my family.  My daughter was 5-7 years old and my husband was baptized at the church, we were married and had our son, Will.  It was a beautiful leg of my journey and I remember it fondly.  One of the big aha moments of my life came during that time.  It wasn't, however, nearly as powerful as the one I had when I was 13...more on that later!