Nose for News, By Sarah Stultz

Do you believe that certain people come into our lives for a reason?

I do.

I was discussing this topic with a co-worker earlier today, and it got me thinking about people I’ve encountered and become friends with in recent years and how many of these people have been there to help me through one trial or another.

I’ve thought about people I have reported on in my time here in Albert Lea who have faced hardship and deaths in their families. Those people taught me lessons that I have applied to my life following the death of my daughter, Sophie.

I think about another friend who I am on a committee with through a nonprofit organization in town. Her daughter, too, had died unexpectedly a few years before Sophie, and she reached out to me in friendship following my daughter’s death.

Then there’s a co-worker who has two children with special needs, who has taught me valuable lessons about advocating for our children and given me basic reassurances and support of raising a child with special needs.

I could go on and on about people who have come into my life at different stages who I believe were a part of my life or who continue to be in my life at a very specific time for a reason. Whether it’s the life experiences they’ve had or their understanding demeanor, they have impacted me.

Have you ever noticed that happen to you?

Many of these people — and many others I don’t have space to describe — have become friends. In other cases, they were complete strangers who out of the blue reached out for one reason or another.

Whatever the case, I appreciate them all.

The conversation got me thinking about things on the reverse end and how I might be needed to help other people in their times of need.

Whether it’s a co-worker, an acquaintance, a close friend or even a complete stranger, sometimes we are in someone’s life for a reason. We’re all in this together, and we should make time to help those around us.

On a side note, I’d like to wish a very special little boy a happy 6th birthday today! Hope you have a great day, Landon! Love you to the moon and back!

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Albert Lea Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.