{finding the beauty}

My stomach has been in knots these past few days.

A friend and coworker lost her husband to a very short and aggressive battle with cancer over the weekend.

They are in their early 40's with a nine-year-old daughter. 

And I'm trying to wrap my head around something so horribly sad. The idea of facing such a tremendous and sudden loss. 

And then there is Diana's story...losing her newborn son just one short year after saying goodbye to her born to soon twin boys. 

I don't know how to make sense of it all.

I've prayed so much this past month for healing. For a baby boy that deserved a chance at life. For a husband and father who still had so much life left to live. 

And both were denied. At least of the type of healing I was praying for.

I'm not one who lives in the camp that "God does everything for a reason" or "it was just his/her time." The God I believe in doesn't take a father away from his family or a newborn away from a still grieving mother. I just can't believe that He would do such horrible things. 

I do believe, though, that God can make beautiful things come about out of tragedy. Love pours out. Friendships strengthen. Bonds are formed between those sharing similar grief. 

Beauty can come from tragedy.

At times like these I'm thankful for this little drawing hobby of mine. It helps to calm my mind and remind me of all of the beauty there is in this world. 

Where are you finding beauty today?