A Tragedy

Sometimes things happen in our lives where there is no happy ending. I've experienced such a thing myself, but the story of the Peterson family of Hamilton, MT truly broke my heart. Josh Peterson was a 2010 graduate like myself and was a victim of a severe tumor that ultimately lead to his passing. His father, Mike, had twice survived cancer, but lost his 8 year old daughter due to brain cancer in 2005. Also, his wife died suddendly when his son was but 5 years old. What a journey he has had to endure. I can only imagine the questions going through his mind. "Why not me? Why take my son and daughter who have not even lived?" The sad part is, these questions will remain unanswered. We often see children as almost untouchable. They do not die. When one does die at such a young age, what do we do but ask "why"? Unhappy endings are so disturbing to me because things are supposed to work out. The hero is supposed to overcome the battle. The child should live. Perhaps the hero in the story is not Josh, but it is Mike. Everything seems to be against him at this point, but he has made it thus far. What I don't understand though is why he hasn't seen his ultimate boone yet. Shouldn't his son have survived? His battles would have been enduring seeing his son suffer through intense chemotherapy, and then all would be bright again when his son defeated the cancer. Unfortunately this was not the case. My prayers go out to the Peterson family, especially Mike, as they face another setback in their journey of the hero.