My Spiritual Expercience

I would like to start off by saying that this is my first time posting and only the third time ever telling this story. I am not a writer nor am I a story teller, so please bare with me as I try to explain this wonderful experience with whomever decides to read this.

It all started 10 years ago. It actually started a long time before that, but those days were filled with drinking and partying, but this is not about that.

At the time this happened, I had been clean and sober for 2 weeks. I was laying in my bed, in the middle of the night, in this 30 day in-patient treatment center, just thinking to myself. "How did I get to this point in my life? Where did I go wrong?"

I thought as far back as I could. All the times that I could remember leading up to where I was at. I laid there for about an hour just thinking and thinking and thinking.

Then all of a sudden it hit me!

I got the biggest smile on my face, my eyes teared up and I was overwhelmed by this feeling that I could not explain. It felt like the room lit up and everything was so clear. I went into the bathroom and turned on the light and looked at myself in the mirror with my eyes teared up. I couldn't stop smiling and laughing and pacing back and forth.

"What is going on? What is this feeling?" I thought to myself.

I wanted to tell everyone right away how I was feeling but everybody was sleeping and I was in complete shock because I felt like i was tripping but I knew i was completely sober and that this feeling was real.

After about what felt like 30 minutes of doing this and feeling this way, things started to calm down. All of a sudden all my worries and hurt went away. I did not care about anything that was causing me pain. It was all gone. I felt like a new person and that I can start fresh. Like I was reborn.

After finally making it to sleep after this life changing experience, I woke up the next morning happier than I have been in the longest time. Still a little confused about what had happened, I asked to talk to the priest that they had at the treatment center.

I told the priest my story and asked him if he knew what had happened to me. He told me "you've found it. Now hold onto it and don't tell anybody."

So I went through the rest of my 30 day treatment happier than anybody there and did not tell a soul about what I had experienced.

After I finished my 30 days, I went to an extended care place across the country for another 4 months still not telling a soul about what had happened.

Until about 6 months after my life changing experience took place, my little brother lost his 6 month battle with cancer. Everything had happened so quickly. It was hard to wrap my head around. A relative my my family is a priest and he came over to the house to talk to us. I asked to talk to him privately.

I went on to tell him my story and he just looked at me and grew a big smile. And with a twinkle in his eye he said "you've got it. Now do whatever you have to do to keep it and hold onto it and don't ever forget it."

Since then, the "family preist" has passed away and I have not mentioned my experience to anyone until now.

I'm not quite sure what to expect by posting this here. I guess I just need to get it out there and maybe see if anybody knows what I am talking about. Has anybody else experienced this feeling before?

Thank you for taking the time to read to this point. Please feel free to comment or criticize.....