Look around you. Every cloud, every leaf, every star in the sky is a courting gift from God.

Getting past the emotions is an important part of healing, but ignoring emotion or trying to hurry it along just stymies our ability to heal. We have to allow ourselves time to grieve when things go bad.

I wish I could offer some nice, neat moral of my story. I cannot. I wish I had some incredible word from Lord. I don’t. But here’s what I do have and can offer to you. I am discovering that being “Good” doesn’t get you anywhere. If you try to be “Good” because you want to reap the benefits, don’t. The sun and rain fall on the just and the unjust alike. Being “Good” for the sake of reaping reward will burn you out and leave you empty and bitter. If that’s your sole reason for being “Good,” that’s not going to be enough. Being “Good” has to be an act of gratitude, because at the end of the day, it’s not what you know or how well you know it. It’s who you know that makes the difference.