As I blog this evening, Judy and I are preparing to go with our daughter and our three grandsons to my 50th class reunion in Negaunee, Michigan.  Our son-in-law Leif is unable to be with us because of his work as an Air Force chaplain in Texas.  As I anticipate my interaction with my former classmates, I sincerely have little desire to talk about my life.  Rather I would rather tell “my story” of God’s work in my life.  I see this work as transformation.  Transformation has become an important word for me in these later years.  Transformation is the work of God in the soul, changing us from the inside out.  It is his hidden work, by which he changes us to become more like Jesus.  I am far from who I should be, but praise God I am not who I used to be back in 1959.     –  This is the story of God’s work in my life.  I have come to appreciate the thought of Richard Rohr who says that “everything belongs.”  What does he mean?  I understand this phrase to mean, that everything that has happened in my life, the good, the bad and the ugly, have a place.  It all belong to the story of God in my life.  It is his work of transformation in the soul.  There is no way that I can take what has happened in my life and weave it into a story of grace and mercy.  Only God can do that.  As I go to my reunion this year, I am so grateful for his mercy and grace to see that everything belongs.  I am sure that there are to discover in my story, but for now I live with what I know.     –    I would say that my being able to come to know all about myself has been greatly enhanced by the inner awareness – a heart experience beyond knowing, that God truly loves me.  Brennan Manning calls it “the abba experience.”  Henri Nouwen call it “knowing our belovedness.”  I know I am “God’s beloved”  It is not dependent on doing or thinking.  God simply is a God of love.  Knowing this has helped me greatly to know that everything belongs    –   I am not sure who is reading this blog.  But I will continue to write out of obedience.  I will make improvement as time and help allows.   I guess I feel some relief in the sense that I am now doing what I have know I should be doing for sometime.     –    I will not be posting for the next four or five days, since I will be at my 50th class reunion.  If you read this blog and it is helpful, let me know.  But more important pray for the “voice” that is being spoken through this blog