Hard times don't last forever

I am going to take a minute to share some experiences I have been a part of, and hope the stories I will tell will not diminish the feelings of the persons more closely involved.

Two years ago Rolf, my boss from my reporter days,  and his wife got the phone call every parent dreads.  Their son had not shown up for work. He had not been seen for a week. He was a single 30-year-old (and a friend of mine).  Though they searched for months for him, they never found him. Yesterday morning I got a phone call. It was the reporter who had taken my place more than five years ago when I left the Clipper, our local newspaper. I thought she wanted me to write something because they were in a pinch (occasionally I write for the Clipper or judge a spelling bee for them). Well as you have already assumed the phone call was not about writing. It was about Rolf. He had passed away that morning. He was around 60 years old. He had been dealing with a bad case of the flu when things went south. He died in the hospital of septic shock. It was also only about two weeks ago, Will and I witnessed a horrific accident. Both the passenger and driver were severely injured and all we, and the other first responders, could do is wait for the ambulance(and lifeflight) to take them away.

If you follow this blog you know that I have mentioned often my belief in God and his plan for us. I admit in moments like this I feel a little betrayed, and doubt His mercy. My heart aches for the families involved in these situations. Why would anyone be asked to go through this? Is God punishing them or teaching them a lesson? The answers for me have come as I read the scriptures and prayed to the Lord asking him why.  Death is not the end of families.  And the Lord does not punish us by taking them away from us for a time. And like those involved in the accident, we are left for a small moment but then the Lord enfolds us in the arms of his mercy. I am adding a link to a video clip on overcoming tragedy and another on the belief that families can be together forever.

In news related to Will and I and Baby, we are all in good health. Ben is grabbing his toes and eating rice cereal. I am trying to guess what each of his miniature squawks mean and why he doesn't sleep all the way through the night.  Will is still volunteering day and sometimes night to keep up on his studies and get back what he lost. And in the evenings,when he is home, we are giving mom and dad's upstairs a new look. As a follow-up to the prior entry-- I have heard doctors talking about Giffords situation saying that she can heal for up to 18 months after the shooting. To this I say- "poppycock." She'll be healing for years ;)  Will just passed his third year anniversary of the stroke (Feb. 1, 2008), and his recovery is still going strong!