Letter To A Higher Power

To whom it may concern,
     I don't know who you are, I don't know what you look like, yet sometimes I find myself talking to you when I am alone at night. I wouldn't necessarily say that I believe in a one "God." The thought of one man creating a universe so vast and intricate does not fall into my realm of reality. But, there are so many things in this life that happen and we find ourselves unable to explain why they happened. Some call them miracles, and those same people call those acts an "act of God." I disagree. I say human beings perform miracles everyday. Now you may disagree with me because your definition of a miracle is one that is miraculous, unexplainable, and divine. I believe that even the littlest of acts can be defined as a miracle.
     In 1998 my family and I were on our way to Bend, OR for a skiing trip. Driving over the Santiam Pass we hit a patch of black ice and flipped our car over in a ditch. Not a single member of my family was seriously injured. When we safely exited our car we had cars pull over and help us out. Out of those vehicles came 3 doctors and 1 nurse. And the last car to pull over, the most important, was an old family friend that knew my parents. They were kind enough to pull over and drive my brother and I home to Lake Oswego. I will always remember that evening not because of the accident, but because of the events that transpired afterward. I call that a miracle.
     People underestimate the power of human interaction. One of my favorite quotes is from a poem written by Marianne Williamson. It reads as follows, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?"
     I believe that I am in control of my own destiny, that what I do in this life directly correlates with how I will finish it. There is no pre-determined road set out for me, that I have the power to do whatever it is I want to do until I find true happiness and am happy to accept that my life path is accomplished. But, I do believe that you, whoever you are, holds all of my loved ones in a very special place. When they pass on, I don't necessarily believe in a heaven but I have to believe they go on to a better place, where they are no longer in pain and they are happy. I believe they look down upon me and give me strength when I need it most, and comfort in times of grief and self-doubt. But like I said at the beginning of this letter, when I am at a crossroads in my life where I find that no human soul can give me the guidance I need, I drop to my knees, fold my hands together, and pray to whoever may be bigger than I for help.
     I've met people who go to Church strictly because they are told to by their parents or others. I've met people who go to Church because they feel the need to be accepted by God and to do right by him. I do believe in some church preachings and I do believe there are good messages being sent to its congregations, but as I look back in history some of this Earth's darkest times were wars based on religion and which God was right. I believe in self-acceptance, self-understanding, and self-awareness. There are too many religions in the world for one of them to be right.
     So to wrap this up, I write this letter to you, in hopes that you understand where I'm coming from. I believe that if you treat people with respect, love your parents, always be willing to learn from other people, be humble, and give credit where it is due, when I pass on from this life I will find myself in whatever I believe is "Heaven." Maybe set an example for those who will come after me, but that's something that I still and always will have to work on.
     To those I have loved who have passed on, know that I love you. You love me, and I will see you soon, in this life of the next.
     Sincerely Yours,
          Graham Moredock