What if Things Do Happen For a Reason?

What if sometimes feelings a little bit of emptiness is good for the soul? What if it means that we did a good job of finding things we cared about enough to feel the pain of losing them. Isn't it better to have had then then lost it than to never have had it? I believe sometimes sorrow is good. Mourning too. It brings us back to reality. It reminds us of what is important. When someone loses a family member, in Jewish tradition family and friends from far and near come to support them and be there for them. The people who arrive at the funeral and stay the week to sit Shiva with the family show how much of an effect the individual who passed away had on the world and on all of these people who cared about him/her and his/her family. Those friends don't fill the emptiness of the hole the individual left completely but they remind us there are ways to ease the pain and shrink the hole, even if it's just by a little. Death is a very powerful thing. It brings us together.  It reminds us to hold on to what we have and to treasure it and not just take it for granted. If you believe the phrase "everything happens for a reason" holds true, then death is not the be-all and end-all. Neither is cancer, disease or destruction for that matter. These life events show us that we can be strong and rise up against any challenge or obstacle in our way. They show us how lucky we are to have such great support systems. I believe the world never throws us something it knows we can't handle. But if life were to happy and easy and have no heart break or loss, would it really be considered living? The real challenge in life is finding the good in situations and believing in that. It's easy to mope and feel bad for yourself and you can try all you want to get other people to feel sorry for you too but that's pitiful, I think. The best way to get help is to help yourself. Maintaining a positive outlook can make all the difference. Granted, sometimes it's good to cry and let the tears and feelings out. Sometimes the only way to move ahead is to let go of the past. But it's not about how long you cry; it's about what you do after you cry. Do you crawl into bed with a tub of ice cream and refuse to leave for the next few days, or do you sleep on it and wake up in the morning with a fresh mind, ready for a new day? The key is to keep moving forward.