A friend of mine has a close family member that has a cruel disease that will kill them in a few months. I can’t even imagine how excruciatingly painful it must be to watch someone you love so much deteriorate rapidly before your eyes. I expect it feels like life is supremely unfair.

While I empathize, because I am not in the midst of her pain, it is easier for me to see the gifts in this experience that I hope with all my heart she will one day be able to look for and receive. Because as hard as life can be, everything we go through gives us the opportunity to learn, grow, and expand—and reach for more joy and fulfillment.

So I wish for my friend that at some point she will be grateful she and her family had this time to say goodbye. That as hard as it is, that she will be able to hold on to the fact that she was able to tell—and show this person—how much they mean to her. She will not regret having left anything unsaid or undone.

That even with this disease and the resulting grief, there are incredibly touching moments going on where everyone is fully present and loving. Those will be gifts they have for the rest of their lives.

I hope she can remember her faith and take comfort in the fact her loved ones suffering was short in comparison to the complete and utter joy that awaits them. That their connection will not be lost—just transformed.

Life is precious and we are not always able to consciously be present with the people we love, or to remember to live our own lives as fully as possible. As a result of this experience, she will know this more fully then just about anybody on the planet.

I hope she can feel the love and appreciation that so many people have for her. And that while her heart is breaking, that she will take comfort in the fact that so many of us who love her fully will hold the pieces until she is ready to put them back together again.

While these wishes are directed specifically to my friend, they are also directed to you. Sometimes “bad” things happen to good people. It’s easy to dwell on the misery, but the gifts are there, too. It is often those “bad” things that ultimately bring us closer to Who we truly are.

And we don’t have to wait for “bad” things to learn these lessons. Be present in this moment. It’s a gift that you cannot barter, return, or exchange. No matter what is going on in your life, fully experience right now. What difference does that make in how you think, feel, and live your life?

Together we can do it!

Photo by Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net