There is a Reason for Everything

"Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." Thoreau

I never believed in the old adage that things happen for a reason.  In fact I would get really mad when people would say anything close to those words.  I remember losing my job shortly after my husband and I got married.  I had worked for this CPA firm since I had graduated from college and was slowly moving up I had plans on the way things would go.  However I was dealt a blow when I lost my job on April 15^th.  I was resentful that my boss had me work my butt off on tax day and then waited for the end of the day let me go; he was no dummy he wanted to make that money.  After losing my job I constantly heard there is a reason for everything and something better would come along.  That was certainly true and something better did come along but still I was not a believer.  It would take several years and a scary moment in my life for me to truly believe that everything does happen for a reason. 

I had finally found a new job that actually paid better and that I liked even better than my previous job.  My husband had a good job too and got an offer for a new job.  For this new job he would be a truck driver.  Something that was a perfect fit for him.  He loves to drive and being alone on the road sounded like more than a dream to him.  First he would have to go to truck driving school for four weeks and then he would be out on the road.  This was not, of course, a dream for me because it meant he would be away for long periods of time but I was ok with this and understood it was something that he wanted to do. 

My husband went through the four weeks of training just fine.  He tested well and was actually driving on his own early on in the course.  This job was truly perfect for him.  All he had to do was pass his physical and then he would start driving the following week; for his first trip he would be gone for about two weeks. I was so excited for him and he was excited too.  He had actually just had a physical and everything was perfectly fine so we knew that would be a breeze. 

My husband had his physical, waited for the results and for the call back from his new boss telling him when and where to report for work.  Unfortunately there was a problem with the physical; my husband did not pass the eye test.  This was not really a big deal, well it was to my husband, but it was not something that couldn’t be fixed.  The process would just take a bit longer and he would not be able to head out on the road right away.  All my husband would have to do is to get an appointment with his own eye doctor and then get a prescription if necessary or some type of clearance from the eye doctor.  No problem.  So we set up an appointment for the eye doctor and were able to get an appointment for the end of the week.  My husband’s supervisor let him know that as soon as he got the paperwork he could start the following Monday.  So my husband would only start a week or two later than the rest of his class. 
My husband went to his appointment and got the information that he needed.  Now all he had to do was wait for a few days until he had to report back to the truck driving company.  It was during this waiting time that things took a really drastic turn. 

The following day my husband started feeling really sick.  He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him but he was sick and achy so at first he assumed that he had the flu.  Then he became dizzy, passed out and had some other ailments going on.  At this time I was at work and when I got home he mentioned in passing that he had not been feeling well.  So I suggested that he go to the doctor the next day.  The next day my husband was still sick but was not able to see the doctor; there were no appointments available for that day. That evening again I got home and my husband was still not feeling well, so we went to bed early since I had to get up early for work the next day.  That evening my husband told me that he was really cold so being half asleep I moved closer to help him warm up but his body was on fire. So I jumped up and took his temperature, on my thermometer it was about 104F/40C. I immediately took him to the emergency room where they preceded to tell me that my husband was suffering from the stomach flu.  I tried to tell the ER doctor that I thought he was wrong and that it must be something else because my husband had be writhing in pain and could not be touched anywhere near his stomach or groin area without screaming in pain.  This was completely uncharacteristic of my husband.  The ER doctor told me that I was being an overprotective wife and that he should go home and rest.  Well of course this was not good enough for me but the doctor refused to admit him.  The next morning my husband went to the doctor and as soon as the doctor touched my husband’s stomach he sent him directly to the hospital.  The doctor’s suspicions were to be confirmed my husband was incredibly ill.  It was not the stomach flu.

My husband was immediately admitted to the hospital, while the doctors tried to figure out what was going on with him.  The team had gotten it down to three possibilities one thing that they were certain of was that he was in an extremely serious situation.  His colon and intestine were swollen so badly that a rupture was imminent.  A rupture would send toxins into his body and death would come shortly after, my husband had been admitted to the hospital just in time.

It was at this moment that I finally realized that things do happen for a reason.  If my husband had been able to go out on the road he probably would not have gone to the doctor or the hospital.  The situation was very obvious my husband was supposed to stay home so that he could be here to annoy me today and to bless me with three beautiful children. Although the reason is not always as clear as mine were things do happen for a reason. This is something that I fully believe to this day and although sometimes I have to remind myself I know that it is true.