Pictures that speak.

(the one of Dad in the rain is probably my most favorite I've taken in a long time!)

Everything Happens for a Reason by Mira Kirshenbaum

This book was like going to some quasi-Cosmic Kindergarten. While I already subscribed to the idea that 'everything does happen for a reason', it was a nice & orderly reminder of why this is just so. She believes that all things happen to teach us lessons in one of ten categories:
1. To feel at home in the world
2. To totally accept yourself
3. To show that you can let go of fear
4. To bring you to the place where you can feel forgiveness
5. To help you uncover your true hidden talent
6. To give you what you need to find true love
7. To make you stronger
8. To discover the play in life
9. To live with a sense of mission
10. To help you become a truly good person.

If anyone is into this type of thing, I totally recommend this book as a primer in these beliefs.

" In a dark time, the eye begins to see." - Theodore Roethke
"Happy is the person who can know the reasons for things." - Virgil