somber...

I had intentions of making this into a well-written piece, but the fact is it's just going to be straightforward instead. I just found out that a friend of mine lost her dad on Friday. She's twenty, like me, and she's already lost her mom... about a year and a half ago, I guess. For any other friend in this situation, I would know how to feel... overwhelmed with sorrow for them. For her, however, I'm almost at a loss of how to feel. She had a distant sort of relationship with her parents. I sure she's sad to have lost them, but ... I don't know. It's just weird. And how do I approach her? I haven't talked to her in months, and we're not super close, but we are a little I guess, so do I call immediately tomorrow, or do I wait a while, or what? [Not really looking for advice, just sorting through my thoughts.]

I don't know how I should feel for her, but I do know that this whole situation has instantly made me grateful for what I have. I have two parents. Two married parents. They raised me in church; they've always been supportive of anything I did; they love me; they've taught me how to be a responsible adult with good moral grounding; and they're still around. And I still have a good chance of my dad walking me down the asile one day, and of my parents seeing my kids, and of us taking trips to "grandma's" house. God has a purpose in everything that happens. Some people lose their parents; some people get to keep them. The former is a lot tougher to deal with, but there's a purpose. I pray that as she and I find ourselves in different situations that I can somehow minister to her, regardless. I praise God for the blessings that He has given me; I pray I use them to do His work.