When you peel away the pain and suffering from your life, you will find the seeds of wisdom. This opening process and the sorrows that come with it are a great gift - the source of the most profound spiritual lessons.

In Spiritual Gifts of a Painful Childhood, Wayne Muller - author of the national best seller Legacy of the Heart - helps listeners grasp the divine thread that connects sorrow and pain to an awakening of the spirit. This graduate of Harvard Divinity School has devoted almost 20 years to helping the homeless, the sick, and the impoverished.

In this moving session, Muller surveys the world's great spiritual traditions to illustrate that our suffering does make sense and that it can be the first step to greater spiritual depth. Spiritual Gifts of a Painful Childhood is a unique audio event, combining Muller's inspirational words of guidance with interludes of spare, reflective flute music by jazz legend Herbie Mann. Four sections cover fear, forgiveness, avoidance, and faith. Concludes with a guided meditation for loving-kindness to all beings.