Everything Happens For A Reason

I believe that everything happens for a reason.  I also believe that while the reason may not be something we can see or understand in the moment, I always trust that it is tied to the bigger picture, part of a divinely orchestrated plan.  In moments, I feel this so intensely, I have no question that it is true and I had one of those moments this week.

A client of mine told me about an experience she had that was still upsetting to her.  She had recently witnessed someone getting hit by a car.  She rushed to the man's side to see if there was anything she could do for him, but he died before help arrived.  She said he was losing blood too fast and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it.

She felt sad that she wasn't able to do anything and she wondered . . . if everything happens for a reason, why was she there?  She asked me what I thought.

My mind and heart were immediately flooded with thoughts and emotions and images.  I told her I was sensing very strongly that she was supposed to be there, because the man needed to experience her kindness and compassion before he left this world.  He needed to feel the love of her generous heart and know that he wasn't alone . . . that her purpose in that moment was to be there, so that in his last moments on earth he knew that someone cared.  I told her it wasn't about saving his life, but about giving him the gift of love and compassion in that moment.

She got goosebumps when I told her that and it brought tears to her eyes.  I could feel her letting go of the judgement she placed on herself for not having been able to do more for him and she considered that maybe she did do exactly what she was meant to do.

Something similar happened to another client of mine a month or two ago.  She was out running an errand when she witnessed a dog getting get by a car.  She immediately pulled over and rushed to see if she could help.  A young boy had placed the dog on the open tailed gate of his truck and at first the dog looked lifeless, but then she saw him moving.  She had recently become a Reiki practitioner, and while she hadn't worked on anyone but her own animals, she decided to try giving the dog Reiki.  She said the scene was chaotic. A young girl, the dog's guardian, came out of the house.  My client quickly assessed that it was her brother who had picked the dog up and placed him on the tailgate.  Then the driver of the car who hit the dog came back, apologizing profusely for what had happened.  My client told me that the brother appeared to be in shock.  He kept wringing his hands and running his hands through his hair, unable to do anything else.  His sister was on her cell phone frantically trying to find an emergency vet that was opened on a Sunday.

My client continued to give the dog Reiki while she assessed the situation. She didn't mention that was what she was doing.  It probably just appeared that she was making sure the dog didn't fall off the tailgate.  Her mind was calm and she was thinking through next steps. She thought that if they were going to transport the dog to an emergency vet, they would need to try to keep the dog as still as possible. She asked the boy if they had a pet carrier, he said no. She asked if he had a box they could put the dog in and he said no.  She could feel how helpless he felt.  She suggested he get a towel or a blanket that they could wrap around him.  He dutifully went to get a blanket and he seemed relieved to have something to do.  She admitted she was surprised at how calm she remained through the whole thing, as she helped them sort through their next steps, never once getting flustered.

She helped them get themselves and the dog into the car and they left to find the emergency clinic. Later that day, she went back by their house to see how the dog was.  They told her that he died from massive internal bleeding.  She felt sad and like my other client, she wondered why she had come upon the scene when she felt she hadn't really helped.  She wondered why she had tried to give the dog Reiki, when it didn't help save the dog's life.  She wondered what the purpose of her being there was, when in her mind, her presence hadn't made a difference.

I could sense right away that her purpose was to be a calm and loving presence, not just for the dog, but for the humans as well. I could feel how her presence helped the brother and sister stay calm and how her gentle guidance helped them tremendously when they were feeling so afraid and overwhelmed. I told her that Reiki can bring an animal great peace, which was probably exactly what the little dog needed at that time.  I could see how her presence helped everyone, even the man who had hit the dog, since she was able to corroborate his account of what happened and probably put his mind at ease.

She was in the right place at the right time to help all of them in ways she hadn't realized she helped them.  As with my other client, her gift was being able to share her love and compassion at a time when it was really needed.