In this week’s blog, brand new UCOH member Micala “Mickey” Kohler shares a bit of her experience finding the path to Unity Church of the Hills and how, after five minutes here, she knew she had found her spiritual home.
For 30 years, my best friend, Teri, daughter of a Unity minister and a chaplain herself, gently nudged me toward Unity beliefs. At first, I thought she was either crazy or a member of a cult. It took years before my fundamental Southern Baptist brainwashing eroded away enough for her to even get me to step into a Unity Church. But when I finally did, I immediately loved the joy, the positive message, the burning bowl, even some of the “woo-woo” stuff.
However, I still couldn’t shake the entrenched belief that I might go to hell if I embraced any of it. I’d been taught since childhood to beware false prophets and fake churches that lure in the vulnerable. Yet, back in July 2018, I found myself entering Unity Church of the Hills for the very first time.
I was newly divorced at age 61. I had shed shed my ex, my home, my dog, my town, my job, and my identity. I felt totally vulnerable on that first Sunday I walked into UCOH. Then, five minutes later, I knew I was meant to be here. I knew that I would join the Unitics. I also knew that God loved me, was within me, and that God was all I needed.
The PATH class simply reinforced everything that my friend had been trying to tell me all those years. After each class, I’d excitedly phone Teri and tell her, like a breathless six-year-old, everything I’d learned in PATH class that day. She’d chuckle in the background and yell out to her husband, “Hey Marty, Mickey is turning into a Unitic!”
Probably the best thing I carried away with me from the PATH class is the knowledge that I create my own reality…that what I think and feel is what I draw to me from the Universe. Armored with that understanding of quantum physics, I feel so much less vulnerable than I did that first day I walked into UCOH. Whatever happens TO me, God is IN me, WITH me. Whatever happens actually happens FOR me.
The second best thing I take with me from PATH class is my new friendships. How amazing it was to find people on the same journey who aren’t intent on telling me how I HAVE to believe. I’m so content to just meander this spiritual road, smell the roses, and figure out my OWN way to divine love and grace, and in my own time. That said, though, I intend to continue to take SEE classes from the sages at Unity, because it’s inspiring and helpful to listen to others describe the routes they took to understand God.
My gratitude goes to Bob and Martin, and to that person that made the gluten-free pumpkin muffins, for making PATH an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. I’m looking forward to putting Principle 5 into practice as I explore the myriad of volunteer opportunities at UCOH. I’m SO eager to continue learning, meditating, and worshipping with the beautiful souls in this congregation. I am so grateful that I am finally walking the path to Unity.
