Although I won’t delve into details at present, a friend has just suffered the loss of her father after he began a hopeful road to recovery from illness.  I can’t begin to offer the deepest thoughts that vex me at present, so let me instead share part of the e-mail I just sent to her.

I hope to offer something more substantial in the days ahead.

I am SO very sorry to hear about your father. Is there anything at all I can do for you? I know it seems terribly shocking, and to me there is an unexpected suddenness to it. He had been doing better, I know, yet more often than we care to admit, life does as it will when it will without one bit of regard for expectations. Sometimes that can lead to beautiful moments of good, but it can also strand us in emotional wastelands wrought of the worst kind of surprise.

Again, I’m terribly sorry to hear this. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything—an ear to bend, a friendly voice to hear, or just someone to yell and scream at so you can delve into the grieving process without anger over a situation you couldn’t have changed. I’ve been there far too often to deny the various faces—and needs—of heartfelt anguish.

My thoughts are with you and your family [. . .] in this troublesome moment of loss. Words can’t make it better; time alone holds that power.