"The more I think about things...."
I received a text a short while ago from one of my daughters. A friend of her husband lost his very young wife this morning. She had a brain aneurysm while at home, then died of a heart attack during surgery at the hospital. The news both shocked and saddened me.
The following quote, from the film Notting Hill, then began to repeat in my head:
"The more I think about things, the more I see no rhyme or reason in life. No one knows why some things work out and some things don't. Why some of us are lucky and some of us get..."
These words are spoken by "Bella," a young female character in the film who was crippled following a fall down a flight of stairs. And I thought, I'm with her. So often, there seems to be no explanation as to why certain things happen. Why a young policeman, who wanted to make a difference in the community he grew up in, was senselessly murdered. Why people in robust health do unspeakable things to their children, while a loving parent or their child are threatened with a life altering diagnosis. Why a healthy young woman suddenly dies.
I've come to the conclusion that oftentimes there simply are no answers. And that my time is better spent not in questioning, but in looking for ways to help, if I can, with has happened. Saying prayers, listening wholeheartedly when someone shares their story, sending a cheering card or email are positive actions I can make.
On Friday night, along with hundreds of other residents in New Jersey, I will be lighting my porch lights in memory of Officer Melvin Santiago. And I will be praying for his family, as well as the husband and family of the young woman who died this morning. Why? Because it will help me to feel there is at least something concrete I can do in the midst of all this sadness.
Care to join me?
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