This afternoon, I watched my little sister, Amanda's high school volleyball team lose their chance to play in the state tournament. I know it's only volleyball, but I was bummed...and not nearly as bummed as Mands was. It's her senior year, after all. And, after the match was finally over, and the team had debriefed, the gym started to clear out. And, there was Amanda, sitting cross-legged on the far end of the gym floor, her eyes red and shoulders slumped.

I would have done anything at that moment to make it better...give her team one more chance...say something to make it all go away...but I couldn't. So, I just walked across the gym floor, plopped myself down next to her, put my arm around her shoulders and said 'sorry.'

And, at that moment, a lightbulb turned on in my head. I had an immediate understanding of how the people who love us have felt for the past six months.

Thank you. When you haven't had the words, and no way to make anything better for us, you have plopped yourselves down next to us, cross-legged on the hard floor, arms around our shoulders, and loved us through the sorrow. Thank you so, so much.