Years ago, we had a big anniversary party for my grandparents, who at that point had been married for sixty-five years. The whole room was packed with Colllinses, eating and talking and laughing.

I was able to sit by my grandpa for a little while and he looked around the big noisy room and turned to me, saying, “Just look at this family! You know, Kate, I never thought I could be so lucky.”

At the time I thought this was awfully sweet, but as the years have passed I realize that this observation was way more than sweet.

Friends, what a topsy-turvy time this is. Some parts of life right now are murky and the future seems full of mist and clouds. In many ways this is not a lucky time at all, as we are surrounded by suffering both big and small, in forms that might be new to us – or newly noticed.

I’m thinking of my grandpa and wondering if maybe that’s the point. He certainly saw suffering both big and small, and experienced his fair share directly, too. Maybe this is one reason he was able to see his good fortune so clearly, and with such straightforward gratitude.

Dear ones, when the day comes for us to say, I never thought I could be so lucky, will we know it? Will we feel it? Will we say it?

Despite the foggy and anxious circumstances, despite the somber headlines and the deep pain that surrounds us, despite the absolute absurdity of snow in mid-April, it’s possible that the day is today.

Friends, may we all be so lucky.