I read quite a bit. Probably 50% of my books are biographies. Some of the people I read about are considered religious saints, some are sort of saints-in-waiting and some might be considered secular saints who impacted a particular arena of life.

The one thing they all have in common though is that none of them were born a “Saint.” Many of their life stories consists of dramatic failures of integrity, compassion, moral behavior and they spent much of their younger days involved with self serving thoughts and deeds, sometimes very harmful to themselves and others.

Along the way, however, a transformation begins and it rather resembles the model of the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Sometimes a dramatic event might have been the genesis of this change. Other times, it’s as if some force slowly eroded away the ‘old ways” and allowed them to have a vision of new ways. Wisdom and action are soon to follow.

I also have noticed, although some will acknowledge their past, they don’t dwell in it and they will move forward quite boldly. Being once a caterpillar does not prevent them from living the life of a butterfly – and they do so with conviction and courage.

Just a random thought inside my random brain.