Recently, my DH and I came very close to buying a house. In the end, we realized that we couldn't justify or pull off all the up-front expenses (down payment PLUS closing costs PLUS moving costs PLUS inevitable move-in costs). We're lucky that we like where we live, so we can keep on looking and maybe something else will come up.
What interests me is the response from other people.
Many (most) of the people who I've told this story to say "things happen for a reason" and then usually follow with "I'm a firm believer in this".
As I've heard this 10 or more times in the past week, I realize that I don't believe it. I believe my DH and I will make the best of it; that there are many ways for our family to be happy, not just this one way; and that sometimes good things come out of what seems like a negative thing. For example, the way that my DH and I were able to talk about this process was very positive for our marriage and we felt close and connected (even though our eventual decision was a negative one).
Of course, I followed with "thanks - I know it will work out" which seems an insufficient response.
I don't mean to diminish other people's general faith and spirituality - and this comment came from people with a variety of religious and atheistic backgrounds - but it did strike me as an odd thing to say. Guess I'm really an empiricist through and through.
What about you? Do you believe that things happen for a reason or is it more random?
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