I just finished reading, "Everything Happens for a Reason" by Mira Kirshenbaum.  The big idea of this book is that the meaning of an event in your life doesn't come from the event.  It comes from you and the lessons you're needing to learn. 

As Mira writes, "The good that comes out of the bad things that happen to you is to help you become your best, most authentic self."

Here are the ten reasons Mira has identified for why things happen in our lives:

1. To help you feel at home in the world
2. To help you totally accept yourself
3. To show you that you can let go of fear
4. To bring you to the place where you can feel forgiveness
5. To help you uncover your true hidden talents
6. To give you what you need to find true love
7. To help you discover the play in life
8. To show you how to live with a sense of misison
9. To help you become a truly good person

This list was very thought provoking to me.  I look back on the loss of my mother at a young age, and I can definitely find meaning in # 3, #8, and # 9.  There's also an interesting parallel to a distinction that I draw in Coaching Into Greatness -- what happens to you vs. what happens.  Both Mira and myself are essentially saying the same thing - that how you view an event in your life determines whether it will help you live into your greatness.  Finding meaning gives us purpose and an abundant path.

What is the thread of purpose running through the events in your life?