Condolences and Reflections...

I'm sure that like me you've been watching and listening in horror as developments have unfolded concerning Jennifer Hudson's family. Its so interesting how in the African American community we tend to feel personally hurt and impacted when a tragedy such as this touches any one of us, famous or not. When I heard of the deaths of her mother and brother, all I could think was , "My God....this is awful" I could barely find the words when I heard about her nephew's body being found as well. I cannot even fathom what it must be like for her to wake up everyday with a burden of grief this heavy on her heart. Here this woman is blessed with a beautiful gift and the opportunity of a lifetime to share it with the world and this lunatic comes along and takes three of the most precious people in her life away from her in an instant.

For me this is more than just a sad reminder of the frailty and fleeting nature of life. Its a lesson in choices and how they can impact us as well as others. I suspect that when Jennifer's sister Julia chose this man to love and accept into her heart and life that she never imagined he could do something so heinous and violent. Apparently she loved him despite his past trangressions and chose to accept him nonetheless. Now, I am in NO WAY blaming her for what has happened in her family. It is an unspeakable tragedy and only that man can be held responsible for his actions. I just wonder had she never met him.....never loved him...or never let him into her life if things would have gone differently for all parties concerned. If she had fallen in love with a decent man, with a good heart, and not this monster, would we still be bombarded with headlines like, "Chicago Mourns Over Hudson Tragedy"? Moreover I think about what must be going through Julia's mind these days. We can only hope that she doesnt blame herself for all thats happened and either never recover from the grief or try to harm herself because of it. I dont think that family could withstand another loss.

Everyday we make choices. Some are seemingly insignificant at the time; like where to go for dinner. Other choices are ultimately life altering decisions that determine the courses of our lives. Sometimes who we choose to love can be just such a decision. I pray that situations like this cause us to take a moment to ponder that.

Here's to choosing wisely....