The first, he said, was when his daughter, Elizabeth Smart, was found alive nine months after she was kidnapped in Utah in 2002. He had always held out hope that she would return home and feels unbelievably blessed that she did.
The second miracle, he said, is less obvious — though still powerful — and something he never thought would happen. He sometimes worries that he doesn’t deserve it after the first one. But it came earlier this year when, at 64, Smart decided to come out as gay and was warmly accepted by his neighbors, friends and family.