I am always amazed by the way life ends.  Today, a mother lost a son.  In her grief, she will drop everything.  Her world has narrowed down to a small point of focus.  As a mom, I hurt with her.  I can feel some of her pain.  I shed tears and know that in the back of my mind that it could have been my son.  It could have been any of our sons.

As I sit here though, in the first few minutes of shock, I hear birds singing and the hum of our pool filter.  Outside are cars, a dog barking and the faraway engine of a plane.  The sounds of people going through their normal routine as the work day is winding down.  I always wonder….why doesn’t time stop?  How can life still go on so normally, when so much pain has been unleashed?  When a precious life is no more.

I know.  This happens every day, all over the world.  There is loss, and there is grief.  And yes, that loss and that grief deserves that same kind of respect, but it is something that the world gives to no man.

So today I grieve with my friend, for her beautiful son.  And if no one else will or can, I an going to take this moment to stop and to pray.  To put aside my normal life and acknowledge the great loss that is not only hers, but all of ours.