Everything Happens for a Reason

My parents divorced when I was eight years old. I was always mommy’s little girl, so after the divorce I only saw my dad every other weekend. After a few years the visits slowly faded away. Even though my dad still lived in the same city as me, he was having his own personal problems and I was growing up, so neither of us minded the distance.

I had always heard the expression “everything happens for a reason”, but I never understood the real meaning of it until my dad’s condition elevated and I realized he needed me. I always thought bad things often happen to good people and I would never understand what the reason could be, so of course the first thoughts running through my head were, “Why me, there’s nothing good that can come from this, what did I do?”

I am a college student with an itinerant mind. Either thinking about pain from the past, worrying about the future, graduating from college and getting a “real job”, or wishing life could go back to being so easy when I was a kid. Before our relationship developed I tended to look at these situations and get upset and never really discuss them with anyone.

Surprisingly, when I least expected it, the relationship with my dad developed. The relationship that developed really showed me that everything does happen for a reason, even if what happened could be seen as a bad thing. My dad and I began to see each other more often and I was able to help him just by being around and talking with him. For a while I didn’t even realize he was helping me grow as a person; I just thought I was helping him. He helped me look at life optimistically and learn about who I am and what I want to be. For the past two years we have grown so close, and he has been a wonderful person for me to talk to about anything. I am so grateful for our relationship and now see the reason for my dad’s illness.

My dad’s condition was not a good thing that happened, but it helped us develop our relationship, which also helped me develop as a person. He changed me in a very profound way and created the person I am today.

Most of the time it is hard to determine what is good in a bad situation. I find it easier now to look at things that happen in a positive light and let life take its course. The experiences throughout my life, good and bad, have helped me grow in so many ways and for that I am incredibly grateful.

Everything happens for a reason.