[Leslie's sister]

This is a good post. Difficult to think about but something we all think about anyway. The first question that pops up in our minds is "Why me?" I think that Gerri covered it well. God definitely doesn't cause the pain, He suffers with us (just as we suffer when our own children are hurting) and He is there to pick us up.

I recognize that I am going to suffer more sadness in my life. I am not looking forward to it but know it is as much a part of my walk as the joy in my life. This past weekend's Wall Street Journal had an excellent article about Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University professor, in the final stages of pancreatic cancer. He has become famous for his final farewell. There was a link to his lecture posted on this site somewhere. One of the quotes in the article struck me, "For many of us, his lecture has become a reminder that our own futures are similarly, if not as drastically, brief. His fate is ours, sped up."

I also recognize what Lee says as well about good people becoming good people through adversity. One of my own person comments is, "I have to learn every lesson the hard way, but I learn it." Another one is "I am the valedictorian of the School of Hard Knocks." Don't get me wrong, I am not an advocate of suffering, I just recognize my own personal growth from it. That is not to say that I wouldn't embrace the end of these life lessons, but for me, the graduation, if you will, would be eternity with our heavenly Father. (In other words, I'm quite confident that I will continue to grow through adversity until my final day)

Thanks Gerri & Lee for bringing up such a thought provoking topic.