What an appropriate picture! This is Kiwi, my first parrotlet, who lived about a month with us before flying into a window and breaking her neck.

Today I've heard stories of loss. And my heart is hurting for the people who have experienced those losses. It is hard to sometimes to comfort others when they have such terrible hurts. What does one say to an elderly parent who has lost an adult child?

No matter the age of the loved one we lost, most of us are not ready to let go, to give that dear one up until we meet again. And yet, it is a part of our lives that we can not control.

And so, as I want to focus on my own personal challenges, I am hurting for others. I will heal, and they will heal. We will both end up with scars.

I am so scarred, but I know that it is those scars that make me who I am. It is those scars that make me caring, compassionate, and tenderhearted. And it is those scars that keep me close to Christ.