This month marks a very difficult milestone for me. It was a year ago this month that I unexpectedly lost my wife. As it would be for anyone in a similar situation, the last year has been the worst year I have ever had, bar none. When she died, I was suddenly thrust into being a single parent to a beautiful baby boy - something I knew very little about.

During this time, I have learned that tragedy brings out both the best and the worst in people. At times, I have been quite proud of how I have handled various situations. There have been other times when I have asked myself why on earth I would have said or done something that seemed so unlike me. That is what grief does. It brings out both the best and the worst in an individual. It is one of the most powerful emotions (and probably least understood) we endure as humans.

My wife touched so many lives that mine was not the only one so profoundly affected when she died. Dozens - if not hundreds - of lives were directly impacted immediately last July. Everyone who was affected also found themselves dealing with the same pendulum of emotions. While one couple we were friends with has behaved so deplorably that I doubt I will ever be able to have much contact with them, most have been on the opposite end of the spectrum. I am blessed with family and friends who have been there with support and encouragement and reminded me to move forward the best that I know how. There are many wonderful people left in this world and it seems that I am blessed to know several of them.

If you are reading this and have recently lost someone you love, I am confident you are seeing both the good and the bad in yourself and in those around you. Your head is likely spinning while you struggle each day to put one foot in front of the other one. Rather than offer some trite cliche, I would simply suggest you commit Philippians 4:13 to memory. Refer to that as often as needed when you believe you simply cannot go on and allow Him to deal with the ups and the downs - the Best… and the Worst.