From Horror to Transcendence

On a sunlit winter afternoon in Arlington, Texas, Super Bowl Sunday of 1981, young friends Trey Shelton and Kevin Curnutt rode their dirt bikes into the crosshairs of a troubled neighbor who didn't like the noise. Trey was killed instantly by the first shotgun blast. Kevin, age thirteen, was paralyzed when the second blast struck him in the head.



Years later, after a long and ultimately unsuccessful rehabilitation effort to restore the use of his limbs, the cruel reality of his life began to sink in. Kevin would never be able to feed himself or drive a car or turn the pages of a book without assistance. He would never marry or have a family. Despair eventually consumed him. He thought more and more about taking his life.

Then, in his darkest moment, he happened across Steven Covey's bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It was Covey who introduced Kevin to the writings of Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. Kevin would later discover wisdom and inspiration from disparate sources, such as mythologist Joseph Campbell, Ram Dass, and Tibetan Buddhism.

What Kevin found through his contemplation and study was a place within himself of universal love and peace, an inner sanctuary that remained untouched by the tribulations of the world, a sanctuary that is available to all. He also came to understand that human beings always have a choice about how they respond to life, no matter how cruel the fates might sometimes be.

In this wise, eloquent, and hopeful book, Kevin shares his path and message, and invites our troubled world to find that same place of universal love and serenity that lies within.