Going On

Life can be tough. And heart-breaking. And devastatingly abrupt. But until we die, it doesn't stop. Disasters large and small occur every single day. For some families, the catastrophe takes place on the world-wide stage. For others, the calamity is private. In either case, our neighbors, friends, and even extended family members, continue on with their lives.

In the midst of personal tragedy, we may believe life will not go on. It's difficult to comprehend how it possibly could. Don't people know how our heart is broken? Don't they see how we grieve?

Yes, they do. They, too, have had their share of grief and heart-ache. They have suffered and survived their own tragedies. And having experienced their own disasters, they have learned that most basic truth. Life goes on.

In the immediate aftermath of every disaster, those who lead and speak for us reiterate this truth. "We will survive this. We will go on."

While dealing with a deeply personal event in my own life, I turned to a friend and demanded, "How long? How long will I cry and grieve?"

Her answer. "Until you no longer need to cry."

While the victims mourn, those around them take up the burden of continuing life. Providing shelter. Feeding the hungry. Pursuing the guilty. Cleaning and repairing the broken. Keeping the necessities of life provided.

That is our humanity. We pick up, support, comfort, and go on.

anny