What if our whole life was planned out for us? What if there are no such things as coincidences? Many things that have happened to me in my life have caused me to think otherwise. I believe that everything happens for a reason.

I’m known as a “military brat”. It’s another phrase for kids who have grown up with parents in the military. My dad was a pilot in the Air Force. Often I would dream about being just like him; he was my hero. But the result of flying planes for all those years gave him two bulging disks in his vertebrae located in his neck. Every time he bent over or moved his back, I could see the pain he felt. He would have to get surgery. I was scared to death that something bad would happen during surgery. What would I do without my hero? But luckily there were no complications. After several weeks of recovery, he was back to normal…almost. He would never be able to fly again. I knew he loved flying and I could not understand why this had happened. But because he couldn’t fly, he couldn’t be sent to Iraq, and so I got to keep my dad.

That was only one event in my life that taught me why some things happen. My family went on road trips often, sometimes to visit relatives or go on vacations. One time we stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner when we saw a homeless man in the parking lot. He had nothing. When I looked at him, all I could see was myself reflected in him. What if that would be me eventually? I think fate caused us to meet him so that we could help him, and he could help me. All that we did for him was buy him dinner and give him a little money. But those don’t last forever. He taught me a valuable lesson about faith, something that stays with someone forever. He taught me that even if something bad happens, there will always be people looking out for others. There’s the reason that we met that man.

Possibly something that affected my life the most was when I moved to Del Rio. Once again, my dad being in the military caused us to move a lot. At the time, we were living in San Antonio, the city of our dreams. I could not have been happier there. At least that was what I thought. But it all changed when we the news that we would be moving soon. Del Rio, the city of those who recycle toilets to use as flower pots in their front yard. It was the home of those who bathed in a river in the middle of the city. This wasn’t exactly high class. But eventually, I learned that it didn’t matter how rich or poor people were. I loved them. I met one of my closest friends there, and my life was changed forever. I realized that even though I had to move to such a ghetto town, I met someone who changed my life.

So about my questions earlier, I think there is someone out there looking out for us. I think there is a superior being who is all-powerful and almighty. I believe that whether or not something good or bad happens, it was meant to be. Even if you think that you’ve got everything figured out, think again.