Reading Alicia’s archives: I absolutely do not believe that everything happens for a reason; I never did, and I still don’t. I believe that we fashion sense out of the things that happen, and create a kind of meaning in the result. And at the end of the day, you just gotta plow on through!

Agreed. If you believe “everything happens for a reason” I think you’re reaching for straws. And if your version is “it’s God’s will” well, then I just have to laugh. There’s this little philosophical concept called “free will” you may want to acquaint yourself with.