Tragic -- Or Not

At church today, a woman was telling me about the tragedy of losing their boat to fire. She actually used the word tragedy, but soon retracted the term. The fire happened while the boat was docked and noone was hurt. It fact, it was taken care of rather quickly, with no damage to anything else around it. It happened the same week that the Mississippi rose so high that people lost their homes and businesses.

The exchange made me think about what we consider tragic. So much of the loss we suffer is not really tragic. It is still a loss, and may be mourned for its passing, but I don’t have much that I can actually call tragic in my life. I didn’t marry as young as I would have liked to. I haven’t had children like I wanted. I struggle with many things. In the grand scheme, however, none of these are tragic.

My point, if there is one, is that when I look at my life with the right perspective, it really is a beautiful thing. I have much more to be grateful for than I have to mourn. Even with the upcoming funeral of our friend Penny, we can celebrate her life and our privilege of associating with her. When work gets difficult, I can remember how blessed I am to have a job that gives me great challenges and helps me grow both personally and professionally. And when I struggle with some of the other challenges I have in life, I can remember how blessed I am with my wonderful husband and extended family. My glass is more than half full. In fact, my cup runneth over.