All Comments By

 Thanks to Syd, David, Susan and others for their heart-full replies! Don't get me wrong, in spite of everything, I practice my spiritual path "as though my pants were on fire," as I recently said to a friend! What I hear and read as "philosophies" or ways of interpreting life events and realities don't  change the felt-reality or the personal consequences of these ineffably puzzling, life-altering, and very deeply painful happenings, especially when they are so numerous! We are certainly free to use our minds to interpret the events of our lives for our learning and our benefit, but our hearts and souls still experience the battering, the unspeakable pain, and our lives are forever changed. We may learn many things. And we may still be broken.

 I would like to believe in this view of life, and can see, and have learned, at least partially, its validity and truth. But having lost 5 members of my immediate, sane, and loving family to murder, AIDS, an accidental drug overdose, an accidental drowning, and a hospital-acquired infection after supposedly "routine, minor" surgery --  in addition to the loss of my own physical health and operatic singing career to auto-immune disorders, please forgive me for my heart-level skepticism. Yes, I have learned much, but those who have not suffered this kind of repeated trauma, loss, and pain, please go easy on the universal rejoicing for the "lessons!" There are many things to learn, and many, many things that also break us, and that even compromise our ability to work with all these lovely "lessons!" For many years, I have been working vigorously on my spiritual practice, and have pursued several different kinds of therapy. Human suffering is a great, ineffable mystery. Please, let's not pretend we have easy answers.