Fate and Reasons

Everything happens for a reason. I live my life day by day and try to go with the flow of the way things happen. I have come to the understanding that people come in and out of our lives to teach us lessons and help us grow into the person we are meant to be.

In elementary school, one of my good friends was a temporary foster child. We would go out to recess and play, sit by each other at lunch, and in the classroom, we were inseparable. She continued to stay in our school system up until junior high years. This was the longest a foster child had ever stayed in our school system. When she came to school one day crying, she said this would be her last day here. I remember coming home and just crying to my mom. What do you do when your best friend moves away? We promised we would stay in touch, but time has caught up on us, and all that is left are the memories we created.

The rest of junior high was trying. I tried to find my place with my own group of friends, and I eventually did. Even though I still missed my old best friend, I learned that I had to move on and make the best of life with new friends; after all, people come and go for reasons.

Believing that people come in and out of your life for a reason received a whole new meaning when I was a freshman in high school. I babysat three little girls, Alyssa, Taylor, and Rayna. They were the most precious girls, but one day their lives and everyone’s around them was flipped upside down. The oldest sister was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. She began treatment and surgeries to remove the tumor, but it just wasn’t enough. In November of 2007, Alyssa passed away; she was only nine.

In the time I knew Alyssa, she taught me many things. She taught me patience, kindness, and understanding. But, most of all, Alyssa taught me how to cherish the time I have with people and never take anything for granted. Even though I didn’t know why at the time, or even now, everything happens for a reason. God puts people in our lives to teach us to love, laugh, and live life to the fullest. I have come to the understanding that people come in and out of our lives to teach us lessons, and to help us grow into the person we are meant to be; this I believe.