At Hokusei, we talk a lot about God. In fact, we try to incorporate God into all of our classes and events. Today, I would like to talk about what God means to me.

In my case, it seems that all of my life I have been trying to understand who, or what, God is. I was born and raised Catholic, and for the first 24 years of my life, that was sufficient for me. But then I started to question my religion. It felt like I was believing in something that other people told me to believe in, and not that I myself experienced. This episode of my life set me on a journey of 30 years, and which still continues today. I have looked for God in churches, synagogues, temples, and anywhere else humans might think God would be. While I have felt the presence of God in all of those places, I have come to realize that God does not need to be put into a house or a building. I can find God anywhere: in a forest, in a river, in people’s faces and hearts. In fact, I believe that God is everywhere, in all people and in all things. As my understanding of God grows deeper, I am able to see that God is present in situations that I never would have thought possible before. I hope that what I have written today reaches someone who might have the same questions about God’s presence. Thank you for taking the time to read this.