I cannot believe that the inscrutable universe turns on an axis of suffering; surely the strange beauty of the world must somewhere rest on pure joy!
~Louise Bogan
That December was the year that my friend Bea describes as life-changing. A life-changing event was playing itself out in her young employee's life... let's call her Veronica. Veronica's mother was in the final stages of brain cancer and the pall over the office was heavy. Bea lamented to another of her office staff that Christmas should be a time of pure joy and that nothing should ever go wrong at Christmastime. Bea was soon to learn that most important lesson when the young woman turned to her and said, "Oh. I thought this was why He came."
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This week has been one of such moments. My daughter's dear friend has been forever changed by a tragic and unnecessary loss. John has lost one of his dearest friends to cancer. Both funerals were this week, just two days apart. We passed by the widow's home on Wednesday and saw Christmas lights on and the tree glowing in the window and I thought to myself what remarkable courage and faith.
