My spirituality in three stories

I first posted this in 2020. Nothing has changed, really.---My spirituality has been a meandering path, from growing up in a Christian household and leaving the church at 12 to where I'm now.I did a lot of searching to find what I already knew as a child. Here are the stories that led me to this realisation.Story 1, circa 1971Somewhere in the house is a picture that was taken during that summer on one of my family's Sunday afternoon walks.The picture is of a little Sylvia with long blonde curls, wearing a poncho her grandmother crocheted for her, inhaling the scent of a rose, gently holding its stem.The joy on my face beams through that picture. Now I know it is one of the clearest depictions of my spirituality.Story 2, Ireland circa 2001A couple of months after serious abdominal surgery, I felt completely uprooted. I knew that I had to get my mojo back, and, after Ireland kept showing up in my dreams, I decided I would travel there alone.I booked a flight, and landed in Dublin…