In this qualitative study, six college-age participants (three males and three females) provided written and narrative accounts about an event in their lives they found to be personally meaningful. The accounts were analyzed using an existential-phenomenological framework. The results suggest that a meaningful life event is often experienced as uncanny or completely unexpected. The participants believed that circumstances proceeding and following the event included actions both by others and their selves that were not forthright. The resulting conflict in this meaningful event will require authentic actions from the participants. Those authentic actions helped participants reaffirm their identity, revitalize vulnerable relationships, and expand their sense of purpose. Participants eventually felt gratitude toward the difficult but meaningful event.
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