Susie Lloyd is grateful for all the feedback you’ve been sending after my call out for stories, but she thinks the word “tragic” might be misleading. Here’s what she is looking for more specifically:
I’d like to find stories of blessings in disguise and when bad things happen to families … at the time they can’t see the good in it but later it becomes clear that God was operating all along. In the end they are happier, holier, more fulfilled. I don’t have a specific story in mind but some examples might be:
- a job loss — trusting in God when the money stops, having to scale down, etc.
- having to relocate — leave friends behind, start over
- a parish closing — this usually causes major resentment
- a lover leaving — when he/she turned out to wrong for you after all and you met the right person later or were called to the religious life
- jail time — in which repentance happened and change
One great example is Mother Angelica’s being orphaned and raised by nuns, and then finding her vocation. The would be to trust in God who sees the big picture from above when down below we view things linearly, sweating the small (and big) stuff.
If you have something to share, please email her directly. Thank you!