Yesterday was a day of bad news. A friend of mine who was in her second trimester found out she’d lost her baby and had to have surgery. My cousin was found to have a brain tumor and is currently undergoing surgery.

My friend is ok, health-wise, but I know she and her husband are grieving right now. We’re awaiting word on my cousin, though the Modern Dad says these things are never good when they show up in a 15-year-old.

I’m not so naive as to say ‘These things don’t happen to my family.’ I will say that these kind of things haven’t happened to my family much during my lifetime. I’ve been very lucky in that regard. My family is close-knit and my cousin has been a really healthy kid ’til now, so I know everyone is struggling with the news.

I don’t know why I’m writing about it now, other than writing is my coping method. I guess it’s always good to be reminded that life is precious. There’s a line from a movie or a book that I love to reference but can never remember where it’s from (perhaps Moonstruck? An awesome movie about family and love that everyone should see): ‘Why does God allow death (or bad things in this case)?’ ‘To make life more important.’

I suppose it’s an especially timely reminder on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedies. Make sure your loved ones know they are loved. Support them both when they need it and when they don’t.

Also, don’t worry about me, but do please keep my friend and family members in your thoughts and prayers (if that’s the way you roll). I know I don’t talk much about my faith on here, but I will say that I don’t pray for things to get better in cases like this because I know not everyone who is not well can get better. I do pray that everyone can find comfort and strength when times are tough.

Love you all.