One of my favorite aunts passed away this past week. She knew her share of troubles in this life. But because of her Christian faith, she remained not only resilient but sunny to the point of inspiring the rest of us with easier lives than she had.

Why is it that the kindest people are often the ones who have experienced the most difficulties in life? Did life “beat the anger” out of them, or what?

I think, rather, it’s that they learned what the pilgrims discovered about life during their voyage to Plymouth Rock and their subsequent hard first few years here in the New World. They learned, as did my aunt, that life isn’t always fair at all. Yet God provides.

The upshot of this is joy, a new and realistic approach to life that reminds us that we need to be grateful for the good times because, after all, it may not always be this way. And it could’ve been a lot different even today. Here’s a Thanksgiving column from last year that elaborates on this theme of gratitude.