How Exactly Do You Break the Worst of News ??

How exactly is it that you should look into the warm, innocent, brown eyes of a sparkling little girl and tell her that her mother has been taken away to jail "just for a little while....you're a big girl.....you'll be okay." Oh yeah, really? Or how is it that I am supposed to process the picture that I've been replaying over and over in my mind -- the one of actually hearing the words come from the judge's mouth about the jail term allotted to those who need it and then the handcuffs being placed over the wrists of someone who has finally turned their life around and is desperately trying to make a go of it. Only this time, it's my sister. And only this time, I've cried more than you can know. I've blogged about her HERE and HERE and HERE and you really should look back at her story. One straight from the streets of horrible tragedy to a beautifulness of spirit that is stunning.

Today, we travel to Idaho for my sister's sentencing on Thursday morning. And then we'll be the ones there to share with her daughter, our beautiful niece, about her mother's plight. I must admit, this is one of the most difficult things I've ever faced in my life. You hear about things on television, joke about them, and use them for fodder on late-night talk shows -- but, like many things, until it happens to you "in your own backyard," you don't really get its impact. Here, you'll see how it hurts:

Some days, we forget to look around us,

Some days, we can't see the joy that surrounds us,

So caught up inside ourselves,

We take when we should give,

So for tonight we pray for,

What we know can be,

And on this day we hope for,

What we still can't see,

It's up to us, to be the change,

And even though we all can still do more,

There's so much to be thankful for,

Look beyond ourselves,

There's so much sorrow,

It's way to late to say,

I'll cry tomorrow

Each of us must find our truth,

It's so long overdue,

So for tonight we pray for,

What we know can be,

And everyday, we hope for,

What we still can't see,

It's up to us, to be the change,

And even though we all can still do more,

There's so much to be thankful for,

Even with our differences,

There is a place were all connected,

Each of us can find each others light,

So for tonight, we pray for

What we know can be,

And on this day, we hope for,

What we still can't see,

It's up to us, to be the change,

And even though this world can still do so much more

There's so much to be thankful for.

(Recorded on Noel by Josh Groban)