Progressive Believer

I met Steve and Richard for the first time today- two of a number of fellow Baha'is here in my area. I can't be sure what I expected, maybe I didn't have any specific expectations, though it seems to be human nature to have some... I had some great conversations with them, and really look forward to the meetings in the future. I was amazed to see how similar people can think, and interested to see the subtle, if quasi-complex differences in the opinions and beliefs between people who share the same faith. I'm still processing it all, but it definitely feels like progress, and I am more than ready to take a dive, head-first, into this. I suppose in some ways, I already have, but I want more.
I feel at peace in a way I'm not used to right now. I didn't eat that much, so that can't be it... :-)
I've met people in my life who I identified with more than these guys, who I immediately had an understanding of... Yet, somehow, this is more powerful to me.
The conversation I had with Jerry the other night keeps ringing in my ears. He was so impressed with how much I was absorbing, how naturally it seemed to fit into who I was... I can't say I wasn't surprised myself... Yet... now, as I think about it, even more than when he and I talked... It feels like this was all exactly what was supposed to happen. This was the moment I was supposed to understand why I had faced the struggles I have... This is the reason. I have never felt like I stood apart from the crowd much. Most of my life, it seems like I have somehow gotten lost in the shuffle. Right now, I have no doubt in my mind that this is the reason I've struggled so hard to be an individual, to be myself, and to follow my heart rather than the crowd. Right now, I know that I am meant for something great, that I am here because I am going to make a difference, through what I believe in, through the people that I know, through the means I have been given. Some people are artists- their medium is paint, or music, or poetry, or sculpture... I am good with words, to an extent, but I have always felt that was a small peice of a bigger puzzle that makes up my medium... My medium is people... I don't make a difference through my writing- these words most likely will be forgotten quickly and it's highly doubtful that they will survive my life span- but these words are my way of connecting with people, of showing them they are not alone, of reminding them that they are not the only one who feels weak, or scared, or hurt, or sad... They are not alone, and they are not unique in their pain. Everybody feels the same way, underneath, though how we show it could not be less similar sometimes...
I'm sleepy, but I am so overwhelmed by the emotions raging inside me right now. I really, truly feel that I have found what I was put here for. I don't think I've ever been more at peace.