Oprah Winfrey first started talking what she knew for sure and has a column in her magazine every month with the same name.  I think it’s a great way of thinking about our lives. So I ask myself, “what do I know for sure?”  “What are the things that I can count on in my life?

Here are a few:

I know for sure that I can count on my family and friends to be there for me; always, no matter what.  Once when I was going through a bad time, a friend of mine suggested that I imagine the hands of my friends holding me up, supporting me. It worked for me. Try it sometime if you need a helping hand.

I know for sure that what I put out there will come back to me. I’ve written about the Law of Attraction before. It’s what I believe. This is not New Age  thinking. The Buddha said; “All that we are is a result of what we have thought” ; and Winston Churchill “You create your own universe as you go along”  What we put out there comes back to us, always, no matter what.  We create our own realities.

Albert Einstein said “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”  I know for sure that coincidences are not random. The people that we meet in our lives are sent to us for a reason. We have lessons that we need to learn from them. If we don’t learn the lesson the first time, we will keep on repeating the same thing. Sound familiar? I can think of a million so-called coincidences in my own life and I’m sure you can too. Here’s one that I’m grappling with right now. Someone I know has a rare genetic disease. She is adopted and nobody in her birth family has the disease but some of the women in her adopted family do. How can that be? It seems to be impossible. Is it a coincidence? What are the chances of that happening?

I know for sure the earth is a beautiful place. I know people who think it is scary and are worried about all the shootings and stabbings and robberies and all of the other tragic things that happen on a daily basis. My reaction to that is to not to pay attention, not to watch the tv news. I don’t want the darkness in the world to be a part of my reality. I believe that there is a lot of goodness and beauty in our world and that’s how I want to see the world. That doesn’t mean that I would creep around downtown during the night or put myself in harm’s way. That would be foolish, but I see no reason to be worried and afraid either.

I know for sure that I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I have always worked with children, first as an early years teacher and now as a photographer. I love kids! Making photos of them is something that fills me as very few things ever have. It allows the child in me to be present and gives me opportunities to be creative and have a ton of fun.

Finally, on a lighter note; I know that I have one of the most adorable, lovable dogs anywhere. He can be annoying and sometimes wants to go out a couple of times a night to eat snow, but he gives me much more than I could ever ask for. At the end of the day, there is nothing quite like a dog to give you hugs and attention. And best of all, he’s always there.  I took this picture with my iPhone after he came in from eating snow. Isn’t he adorable?

What do you know for sure?