Let me tell you a secret about experiencing the miraculous in life: Declare a goal, something big, something that scares the shit out of you, and then commit to deliver on it, even if you have no idea how you're going to do it.
Because somewhere in the distant past, I sold myself on the belief that there's not a tragedy in this life that will make me give in. You have to decide that sort of thing BEFORE tragedy strikes.
If it SHOULD HAVE occurred a different way, it WOULD HAVE. Just because the end result isn't what we planned doesn't nullify the whole experience or make it any less meaningful.