Joy comes in the unexpected moments.
Jan Phelan, the mother of Sarah Burke, an amazing skier who died from a head injury in 2012, made a profound statement during a recent interview. 
"Before this happened, I would have said that the worst thing that could have happened to me...ever, would be to lose Sarah. Then I realized there was one thing worse and that would be to have never have had her at all in my life, so...um... you can focus on the joyful happy times because they were a gift...even for a little while." 
Her reflection smacks me. What if I had never had Rob in my life, even though our time together feels much too short? The thought of someone else is inconceivable. Rob completed me, he challenged me, he chose me.  
Haunting images of Rob's tragic last months and an ever-pressing sense of his absence crowd my mind these days, but this grieving mother dares me to retreat from pain and visit happier times: forty-three years of beautiful love and friendship...a strong, intimate marriage and the privilege of raising three children who reflect their dad... a lifetime of wonderful memories, God-given gifts!
Healing demands this arduous walk through darkness, but the gathering of lighter times seems just as therapeutic and important. 

Joy finds its way into both.