This morning as I pulled into the Starbucks coffee shop, two friends drove up and asked how I was doing. We visited for a minute and I asked about one of their family members who has been having some personal problems. We talked about that for a minute and I expressed my sadness for this person and my wish that all would turn out for the best. One of these friends shrugged and said "you play the cards that life has dealt to you."

While this philosophy is not exactly new or even very deep, it does have contain truth on several levels. I am not a poker player or much of a card player. I have never played Bridge or Canasta and am only superficially knowledgeable in the game of Spades. Although I am not judgmental about cards or even poker and am glad people gain pleasure and emotional satisfaction from their card playing experience, I am suspicious of addictive behavior which in turn makes me question gambling as a source of entertainment, but that is subject for another day. I do assume that the expression of "playing the cards you have been dealt" grew out of some old cowboy kind of practice from the Old West. As an aside, many great life philosophies did come out of the Old West including "watch your back" and "keep your horse tied up." The idea of playing the cards you have been dealt obviously means that you may not have picked these particular cards, but you have to do the best you can with them no matter what.

Life is like that to an extent. We don't always get to choose the events that happen to us. While we often create our own problems and our own happiness and do get an opportunity to make choices, there are times when things just simply happen. The events that happen may not be our choice, but how we react to those events can make a difference in subsequent events.

We have an autistic son. We did not choose to have an autistic son and we did not intend for that to happen. Joel is our middle son and Joel is beautiful, wonderful addition to our family, but Joel can be a challenge. I will be writing more about him at a later date. My point is that not only do we need to do our best to help Joel we also need to recognize that Joel is not just a difficult card to play but in fact is an Ace! Of course people are not cards and life is not just a game, but it is true that we should take what we have been given and turn it into a positive.

Blessings come in many different forms and we must constantly reflect and genuflect up on those blessings. What may seem like an unfair card to you might in fact be the card that provides signficance for you at a later date. It has been said that when a door closes, a window opens and that opportunity may seem disguised but is often right in front of us.

You probably did not choose all of the events that have happened to you, but you have had a choice in how you dealt with those events. Too often we expend emotional energy whining about our problems instead of applying energy to finding solutions. Take the events that occur, react with dignity, and reach for positive results.

Now that I have postured a philosophy of "playing the cards you have been given" and playing them well, it is time for me to practice what I write. Best wishes as you play the game of life today. Use your cards to help someone. Use them well and wisely.