Losing Heart

I was concerned, when my wife died, how this might affect the Church. In various ways, I was amazed at how the Church rose to the occasion. At the same time, there were individuals who lost heart. I saw it at a small (out of season) fête we had a few months later. One of the key players said: "There's nobody here!" Another said: "It's a total waste of time!" My heart sank -- not because I dislike unsuccessful events, but because the spirit was terrible. But when we saw the result, it was extraordinary. This small fête had done very much better than all previous ones. OBSERVATION: I didn't see it as clearly as I do now: a tragedy can lead to pessimism, even in the face of completely divergent facts. The best way to deal with that, I think, is to help people to understand, and to encourage them.