We were all saddened by the tragic news on January 26 of the helicopter crash that took the lives of 9 people, including basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. At that moment life as normal came to a screeching halt for his wife, Vanessa, and their 3 remaining daughters.

Normal life also ended for Matt Mauser, who lost his wife Christina, and must now figure out how to navigate life with three small children and no wife and mother. Chris Chester lost his wife Sarah and daughter Payton, and now will have to continue raising his two sons alone.

Another devastated family lost parents John and Keri Altobelli and sister Alyssa, and life will never be the same for them or the family of pilot Ara Zobayan. Normal life ended that day for each of these families, and many others were also affected in various ways.

We never know when life will take a tragic turn. We live in perilous times, with much unrest around the world. The hatred and violence even in our own country escalates daily, and news reporters are kept busy keeping up with all the bad reports.

Every day, somewhere across the nation, there are people and families receiving tragic news. And that's when life as usual stops. At that moment, nothing else matters but getting through each moment, each day, surviving the new reality that has been thrust upon them. All the trivial things that were pressing before the news came just go by the wayside and lose their urgency.

Being at the receiving end of a tragic report is one of the hardest things we can face, because it's a final verdict. There is no more hope for a reversal, for a miracle, although there have been miraculous resurrections from the dead reported around the world. But most do not receive their deceased loved ones back.

At these times the only help to be found is in the comfort and loving embrace of God and others who care about us and share our grief. Nothing can ease the pain, but comfort is available to help us bear up and make it through another day.

For most going through this grief, life will never return to the normal they knew. They will have to go through the grieving process, and there are many changes ahead. Eventually life will settle down into a new normal, a different normal.

And God will still be there with them. He is the only constant we have in this life, the only sure thing we can count on no matter what happens. He has promised in His word that He will never leave us nor forsake us (see Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5).

He is a very present help in time of trouble (Psalm 46:1), our only hope during hopeless times. He will bring us out on the other side of tragedy and grief.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 482-5300.