Gone Too Soon

Yesterday the husband and I attended a funeral. All deaths bring grief, but this one was especially heartbreaking since we were memorializing a high school senior who took her own life on Thanksgiving Day.

This young woman seemed to have life by the tail, with her impressive resume and Ivy League college applications. She was articulate and kind. She grew up attending church and had loving parents who provided the cushion of financial security. She wasn't into drinking, drugs or promiscuity. But she obviously had a lot of inner turmoil we'll never fully understand, to the point where impulsivity and hopelessness in that one moment had her making an irrevocable decision that would forever change the lives of many who knew and loved her.

Every morning, I wake up and think about this young woman's mother. How all of her dreams and hopes for her daughter died on Thanksgiving Day 2018. How this holiday will never be the same for the rest of their lives. That this family will struggle with grief and anger in the coming days, weeks, months and possibly years. 

I don't have the answers we all seek. How could a loving God allow this to happen? How will God use this for the greater good to help others? Why did this young woman's life come to such a tragic end at such a young age? All I can do is pray for strength and peace for all of us, the family in particular, as we move forward through this painful period of mourning.

For anyone who is struggling... CHOOSE TO STAY!