My Divine U-Turn

It was a cool, crisp October morning when I set out from my mountain home on a journey that I intended to be my last. I began my travels that morning in 1998 with a determination to end my life. My plan had been well laid. Nothing on Earth could dissuade me from completing it. And no earthly power did.

I had been convinced that I led a charmed life. I had been adopted from a Catholic orphanage in Heidelberg, Germany, by an American couple at only six weeks of age. I was raised in the rural American West, a place plump with fruitful fields to explore. Despite a fractured home life, I had a joyful youth with many opportunities for experiencing friendship, activity, and adventure by membership in Boy Scouts. My school life was also rewarding. I found that lessons came easily, and I participated in the many extracurricular activities