Life is full of unexpected moments. The way a soft breeze rustles through the trees is one of my favorites. Encountering a flower you don’t recall planting is another.

Take this yellow day lily for example. I vaguely remember planting something there but was surprised and delighted to find this bright, showy flower reaching toward the sky last night.

These are the good things that come to us when they’re least expected. Then there are the tragedies, the astonishing shocks that change a life forever.

A good friend from work lost his wife unexpectedly this week. She was a vibrant human being, colorful, kind and fun to be around. She made people smile and made them feel good.

Her name was Dawn, an appropriate name for her personality. Dawn, that moment of daybreak when light first appears and the world awakens, is a perfect name for someone like her.

I rarely saw Dawn but every interaction was pleasant and it’s hard to imagine the world without her in it. I hate to think about how hard this must be for my friend.

Like most humans, I seek logic and understanding in situations where there is no logic to be found. Humans aren’t meant to live forever but it’s hard to believe dying so unexpectedly and reasonably young is the way it should be.

In times of trouble, I often look to nature for calm and for guidance. The day lily pictured above couldn’t have bloomed at a better time. It reminded me of Dawn – vibrant and colorful but not here forever.

We all should be so lucky to have such beauty – whether it be a person or a flower- in our lives.