I have been asked about how I feel about this subject. Do things happen in life for a reason? Are all things meant to be? Do I believe in fate? I’ve heard preachers in church talk about how the divine doesn’t put anything in front of our lives that we are not equipped to handle. Further, some have said that the reason we face adversity in life is to challenge us and come out the other side with a revised and strengthened sense of purpose. I struggle with this notion and have a different view. I believe that much of our lives come down to the choices we make and the relationships we hold. There’s no question that sometimes bad things happen to good people and we have no control over it. Things happen, often times cruelly, abruptly and without warning. So why do these things happen? I don’t believe it’s fate, or ordained or part of some grand master plan. I believe that life isn’t fair, nobody ever promised it would be. We get dealt a lot of hands in our life, and some of them are very difficult. We play the hand we're dealt. Being dealt a bad hand doesn’t mean there aren’t many more good hands to play. There are. I believe if we keep the focus on making the most of what we can do, and not dwell on the things we can’t, that we have best positioned ourselves to maximize the time the divine has left for us on this earth. I believe in a simple yet profound statement from my mother-in-law Muriel, “Jamie, just make the best of it.” Absolutely Muriel, I apply your simple words every day I wake up trying to make the best of what I can do and not dwell on the things I can’t.