sadness.

This has been a particularly painful week. First of all, the amount of tornadoes that have taken the lives of over 230 people in the South. It isn’t looking to stop anytime soon. I’m a woman of faith but I’m having a hard time trying to figure out why God allows things such as weather to destroy homes, families, cities, and lives. What is the purpose of having 230+ lives claimed by a funnel cloud? As Christians we are supposed to believe that everything works for God’s glory and the outcome of tragedy is generally good in the end. But the tornado disasters in Alabama and Tennessee have got me thinking that it’s pointless destruction. Maybe there are people out there that needed a “life check,” or needed to be put in this place to start over for a reason they won’t figure out until years later. I, personally, will never know because I don’t know them. But either way, it’s a hard thing to accept that God allows bad weather to kill seemingly innocent people. And I think this is big contributor to why non-Christians refuse to believe.

In other news… a friend of my family passed away Easter morning. Coleen Jeanette Rodberg was a woman I grew up with—though I hadn’t seen her in years, I remember knowing her as a kid. First and foremost, she loved her husband Elliot more than I can say, and he loved her that much back. She used to call him her “dreamboat.” And she had the best sense of humor… she was always laughing, making jokes, and giving people a lovingly hard time. She survived for many, many years with Hodgkins Disease, breast cancer, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, a bad gallbladder, bad tonsils, and compromised lungs. But even in the midst of her sickness, Coleen was so strong. I believe she lived for so long because of her faith and because she refused to give up. She had all of those terrible illnesses that should have taken her to the grave years ago; yet she suffered through them to live years longer. She was truly a fighter, and I’m told she had such a good and upbeat attitude even at the very end. Even though I didn’t see her often since I was a kid, I have always remembered her humor and the love she gave to my family. So Friday, April 29, 2011, my family and I will celebrate the life of a woman who I will always have fond childhood memories of. Rest in peace, Coleen. You will be missed.

[You can read her obituary here if you’re interested: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/baltimoresun/obituary.aspx?n=coleen-jeanette-rodberg&pid=150602039&fhid=4733]