The unthinkable can and does happen.
The unthinkable. The unimaginable.
The pain in your wife’s stomach that leads to the visit to the emergency room that leads to the call from the doctor saying one of the most feared words you can ever hear.
Cancer.
The next call that says the tests are done. There is no cure.
Your wife will die.
You will be left alone.
The unthinkable. The quickness in which a life you loved living turns dark. The long fall over the edge.
The dark. The cold. The emptiness.
And then.
The unthinkable happens again. The unimaginable.
Just when you accepted that your life had ended too. A light.
A spark.
A new smile. A new partner. A guide who has made her way through the dark before is there to show you the way out.
The sun rises. You discover that falling in love doesn’t stop the grieving. But the grieving doesn’t stop you from falling in love. The sky is blue again.
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We human beings are limited. So limited that we are not even aware of our own limitations. We cannot comprehend the worst.
But we also can’t comprehend the best.
The Passover story tells of a people who lived charmed lives in one of the most powerful nations on Earth.
And then.
The unthinkable.
Suddenly they found themselves tossed from their lofty position into abject slavery. The lights went out and they struggled on in the dark.
Many gave up hope and accepted that the sun would never rise again.
But then.
The unthinkable happened again.
Liberation. Redemption. A way out of the darkness.
To the Promised Land.
As Passover approaches I remember. I remember Stella’s smile and her love. I remember the horrible pain of losing her. I remember the darkness that closed in on me. And I remember meeting Gilly and how she pulled me out and gave me life again.
The Passover story teaches that we must understand that the lives we have today will not necessarily be the lives we have tomorrow.
But that the worst thing we could do is give up hope.
Even after all hope is lost.