Wouldn't it be nice if we all could "know for sure"

Every month in O Magazine Oprah writes a feature titled - what I know for sure. And today, what my co-worker knew for sure was that I needed to read Oprah's August musings. She brought me one page torn from the magazine and told me to, "Read it later." I did. And if her main message is true, then it seems that the timing of this article is anything but accidental. In this piece Oprah's writing about the loss of Gracie, one of her golden retrievers, and says, "I don't believe in accidents. I know for sure that everything in life happens to help us live." It's not exactly the Oprah moment I've been hoping for, but ... it certainly hit home.

I know there's been quite a lapse in my blogging and to be perfectly honest, I didn't feel like I had anything very positive to say, so I wasn't saying anything at all. Since the launch of beauty tipsy only a few months ago, you've read about my basement being flooded by the sewer; my declining health and skin issues resulting from the "natural disaster"; and now I'll share with you that I've also lost a co-worker and friend and my beloved pooch Darby a.k.a. Big Papa. All-in-all, not the best spring/summer season I've ever had and certainly not anything I expected to be sharing through my blog. But I think Oprah is right, everything happens to help us live. While my heart is broken and I'm sure my dark circles even darker, I know my life is better because I had an opportunity to know an amazing woman who was head-to-toe beauty tipsy - stylish, confident, caring, maybe a little outspoken ;) ...  and most of all authentic. A true role model for all of us. And Big Papa, well, if I'm a good mom someday, it will be from the seven years I spent raising all 130 lbs.of him. I'm still not exactly sure what I learned from the sewer situation but it'll come to me eventually. Bottom line, things are always going to change whether we like it or not. Some changes are welcome, some devastating. But if we can know for sure that, "life happens to help us live," then we'll always keep learning.