Spirituality is belief that there is a force or energy that permeates life, the universe, and everything as well as how we interpret and respond to it. Religion is the organized system of responses to this force or energy designed to influence the way it interacts with you. For me, spirituality is a feeling of connectedness. I am a part of something bigger than myself. That thing that connects me, all the other living creatures of the earth, the earth itself, and the universe at large, I have come to refer to as God. The physical and emotional feeling of my interactions with this connection is my spirituality. The practices I engage in regarding this connection comprise my religion.

            Spirituality is the feeling of peace I get as I am sitting on my front porch, breathing in the fall air, watching large white fluffy clouds float by, the hum of traffic in the distance, the leaves of the trees turning brown and yellow. It is an experience that transcends words. There are no obligations. No predetermined ways to respond. Spirituality is an acknowledgement that everything surrounding me exists with me.