Paul Wesner’s Story

Paul came back to The Unity Center because he loved Wendy’s Easter message and the connection he felt about what Easter should be like. He says that every Sunday there is something there for him. He listens to the lessons again on You Tube throughout the week because he can pause it, write things down that resonate with him or cause him to go further with the lesson, and allows him to gather important information from all of the content.

He particularly loved a lesson where she shared that we need to make our own way. She talked about the difficulty of being who we are when we are growing up and that we might not fit into “social norms” so we just conform to others’ ways of living. Paul shared that Wendy said we need to embrace our individuality and have permission to be who we are without shame. After 43 years of marriage, Paul had the courage to accept himself as a gay person and left the marriage in 2016. This particular lesson was in September of last year and it provided Paul with more confirmation of living his life authentically. It affirmed the difficulty he experienced while growing up in not being able to be his true self as times were so different then. He now loves his awareness of being himself and the comfort he feels with it. He shared that he has several family members who are in the LGBTQ+ community and that all of them are growing in their acceptance and support of each other for the different paths they are experiencing.

Paul’s favorite lessons are those that give us spiritual tool kits—the things that help us get through our daily ups and downs. He also talked about how Wendy addresses long term difficulties we need to get through and how to deal with them. He says that we don’t get to gloss over our difficulties—they are a part of life and our life lessons. He shared that knowing this in his being that no matter what happens he is going to get through it and he will look to the lesson in what it took to bring him out of it. Paul says that there is always the downward side to the mountain—it’s not always an uphill climb. We have ways to work with each other, our faith, spirituality, and our tools from Unity.

Paul describes The Unity Center as not religious but more spiritually oriented. It’s based on Christianity and also incorporates and accepts other religions—Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, etc. We look at the Bible as not the exact word of what happened because there is always a metaphysical interpretation. Bible stories are not to be taken literally, but as lessons for life. We do not have rituals or repetition of saying things out loud and we do not live by rules and regulations.  

Paul volunteers out at the ranch (Stallion Oaks Ranch) and has hosted several Life Groups. He contributes a monthly amount to The Unity Center because he has gotten so much in return. Contributing financially has helped his internal spirituality, his being, and he wants to keep giving. He is grateful that he is able to give, doesn’t only give when it’s easy, and does so consistently and joyfully. He feels like it is an investment in The Unity Center and it being able to continue to be there for him.

He met is partner 7 years ago at a dinner hosted by his running club, and Paul took the last seat available that was right next to his partner (divine order). His partner grew up in a Mennonite background and is now attending a Catholic church. They occasionally go to church with each other and are very accepting of their differing spiritual paths. His partner has also attended a couple of his Life Groups and is open to Unity teachings.