Everything happens for a reason -- Part II

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After 13 months that included two layoffs and six months of joblessness, I am grateful to be starting a new permanent position next week.  It's nothing I ever thought I'd be doing, but lately I'm seeing that all of my bumps and obstacles happened for a reason.  

Last week, I shared the news of my new job as well as the lessons I learned through layoffs and two temp jobs.

Today, I share a much heavier story. One that, to me, emphasizes why I needed to be in my most recent temp position.

This temp job will end up just being a blip on my resume, but it changed my view of my capabilities. The impact also reached well beyond me.

First, a little background ...

A few years ago, a young female college student named Kelly was struck by a drunk driver while she was walking home from a party.  The drunk driver did not stop.  Kelly laid on the side of the road for hours until she was found.   She died from her injuries.

Fast forward to today ...

I have become pretty good friends with the girl who sits next to me at work.  We were interviewed on the same day and through conversation, we discovered she used to work at the same place as my mom. This started a bond that has continued to grow between us.

A few weeks ago, I asked what she was doing for the weekend, and she said she was going to a funeral for her brother-in-law's grandfather.  She said she's always been close to their family even though he's the husband of her sister.  As we talked about his family, she said it was a tough time of year because his sister would have celebrated a birthday in previous days. She went on to explain that the sister was hit and killed by a drunk driver in Ames a few years ago.

Me: "Wait, you knew that Kelly?"
Her: "Yeah. That's my brother-in-law's sister?"
Me: "Wow. Small world."
Her: "What do you mean?"
Me:  "My brother's the one who found her after she was hit."
Her:  "Are you serious?"

We shared a few more details to ascertain we were talking about the same girl.  And we were.

I told her how my brother had discovered Kelly and covered her up with his coat until emergency workers could respond.  I told her how the incident changed him.

That weekend, she shared this information with her family and Kelly's family.  They all cried.  I'm sure some of it was pain from the grief they're still feeling, but they also told my co-worker that there was some relief. They were glad to know Kelly hadn't been alone.  They all asked my co-worker to relay to me and my brother that they were grateful for all he did that night.

Yeah.  Goosebumps.

If I had not found my way to this temp job.  I never would have met this friend.

If we had not been put on the same team, we likely never would have had daily conversations that led to this discussion about Kelly.

If we had not had that conversation, Kelly's family might not have found a new level of peace.

Everything happens for a reason.