On writing a spiritual autobiography

Last weekend I decided that I needed to write (actually, re-write) a spiritual autobiography. I say rewrite because I had to develop one for my application to the college seminary that I studied at for two years. A lot has happened during and since college, and I figured that it would be a good idea to reflect, do some reading of my journals and start from scratch.

Why am I doing this?

Clarity, illumination, and dare I say enlightenment? It's easier to know where you are going if you know where you have been, and that is my impetus for doing this. Despite my initial thoughts, I discovered that much like writing a paper on a historical, writing a paper about yourself requires research. So I delved into my journal entries, I read notes from friends, I perused emails, and looked into Word documents that I saved (I discovered dozens!). Each piece I discovered was a snapshot into my life at a particular point in time. They brought up many memories, both good and bad. It was so much like Dumbledore's Pensieve. I re-entered my memories as an observer, able to recall the moment, the emotion, but removed from it.

So far it has brought a lot of intriguing questions and observations to the surface. Some previously unanswered questions remain a mystery, but the organization of so many fragments of thought and emotion brings with it some sort of clarity and sense of order. It has given me a lot to think about and reflect on, I highly recommend it as an exercise to consider doing. If nothing else, what becomes apparent is the imperfect but beautiful path God has carved out for me. It has increased my awareness that whatever struggles or confusions I experience now are all part of the same beauty I saw in years past.