A saying that has always stuck with me is “everything happens for a reason”. It was said to me in 7thgrade when my parents decided to move my family to Israel. It was said to me senior year of high school when I didn’t get into one of the schools I applied to. And it was said to me when my close friend and sorority’s THON child, Brandon, passed away two years ago. This saying never comforted me. It never made me feel better about any situation and on the contrary made me feel uneasy. Although the move to Israel was a very challenging experience, it tested my social abilities and perseverance. I gained a strength that has opened up so many doors and opportunities for me. I am comfortable with being uncomfortable and I have immersed myself in so many different things that I know I would’ve never had the strength to do if I had not moved. I became a “professional new kid” and the skills that I learned in Israel have helped me in so many ways. The many gains that came out of this experience led me to believe that NOT everything happens for a reason, but you can take something positive from any situation no matter what.
When our THON child Brandon died I shut down. What was the reason for him dying? There was no direct reasoning for his passing and no explanation of why this was fair. Many people would come up to me and would try and comfort me by saying everything happens for a reason. I could not and still cannot fathom why the world would do this to Brandon, his family, and me.
After Brandon died I became very close with his mother. She did not know anything about THON and did not know the support system that she had. We invited her to THON weekend and she was mesmerized the second she walked in. She saw the colorful stands filled with students, all the volunteers running around focused and determined, and all the kids on the floor laughing and playing with bubbles. She had no idea that there were 15,000+ students that all came together to raise money and give love to all of these kids and families. She cried happy tears for the entirety of the weekend.
Now, this moment that Brandon’s mom had will never justify his death in any way, but the support, love and new family she has gotten is something so beautiful that came out of something so terrible.
There is so much to take from every life experience whether they are positive ones or challenging ones. If we don’t see or appreciate any of the good that comes from those experiences then we have the possibility of missing out on so much that life has to offer.
I believe in appreciating and acknowledging the good in every situation.