Everything happens for a reason

The saying ‘Everything happens for a reason’ has been around for a long time. I, like many other people used to think it was silly.  But things have happened to me during my life that have led me to believe the saying is true.  Now it doesn’t mean when the thing happens you will understand, why, then and there.  What it does mean, is that what happens changes your life in such a way that you realise later if that had not happened, something else would have or not have taken place.

Let me explain.  In early 1985 my seven-year-old daughter and I were travelling around Europe in a Motor Home, or a campervan as we call them in Australia.  It was a cold winter, lots of snow everywhere, it was even snowing on the beaches in Spain. Because we had sleeping and cooking facilities in this campervan, we pulled into Camping Grounds each night and stayed there.  While in France the van broke down. I can’t remember what the cause was now, but we had to be towed into Lyon and stay in a hotel for a couple of nights while the fault was fixed. The van was fixed and we continued on our journey.  By then the weather had improved.  Yes, I know it is a long story, but it wasn’t until several years later that it hit me.  If the van hadn’t broken down it is more than likely my daughter and I would have died of carbon monoxide poisoning if we had stayed in the van overnight.  It was so cold I would have left the heat on and we both would have gone to sleep, never to awake.

When something happens, one gets frustrated at the inconvenience and the fact one has to make other arrangements. You don’t think of the situation until something is said at a later date, like me, when I realised, someone up there was looking after us. We went on to enjoy our trip around southern Europe and returned home safely.

This of course is not the only case I could quote, and you don’t need me to keep telling you all my stories.  But if I asked you, can you think of an occasion that if a certain thing hadn’t happened, what eventually took place could have been drastic, or it led to a change in your life you never dreamed of, but was the best thing that could have happened to you?  If you can, you will understand what I am saying.

Things happening for a reason, sometimes are small.  But everything affects other things.  So, you missing or changing a flight or some form of transport might seem trivial at the time, but through this action, you could be saved from an accident, or meet the person who turns out to be your life partner.

There is of course another side of this.  When something causes the death of someone close, or such a bad accident the person is left unable to walk or something similar, the usual question asked is, ‘Why did this happen?  That person didn’t deserve to die or be injured.  This is where you might not find out the reason for years.  The death or the injury might have a personal effect on another loved one, which causes them to set up a foundation to assist others.  It might have an impact on another person involved in the accident to change their life. Christopher Reeves comes to mind.  The star of Superman, was confined to a wheel chair after a bad horse-riding accident.  He went on to help change the laws for disabled people.  Would he have done it if he hadn’t had that accident?  We will never know, but I expect not.

Out of everything bad something good comes.  In 2015 an Australian Cricketer, Phillip Hughes, was hit on the neck with a cricket ball after a delivery called a bouncer.  The impact was so fierce it caused a haemorrhage and Hughes died a couple of days later.  Hughes had stated he wanted to donate his organs and his family stuck to his wishes.  Five people received organs from Hughes.  Five people’s lives were saved, although Hughes died.  A positive climax to a devastating incident.

So, in the future don’t look at problems and mishaps as a dark cloud, there is always a silver lining that leads to something better.  Everything happens for a reason.

Julie Finch-Scally ©