Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matt 5:4)
I was shocked to read the news on Sunday that Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter accident. My heart broke further when I saw that his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, had also been killed. As the story developed and it was reported that all 9 people on board were killed, I stopped what I was doing and said a prayer for all the families that were devastated by this event. On Tuesday, I learned that two of the victims were Sarah and Payton Chester, mother and daughter. Payton was on the same basketball team as Gianna and she was a student at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in San Juan Capistrano. Sarah was a trustee at the school. I didn’t know the Chesters any more than I knew Kobe Bryant, but they were members of our tribe – the Episcopal tribe. I knew millions of people (who didn’t know Kobe any better than I did, but felt like they did) were mourning the loss of a sports icon, but his loss is no more tragic than the loss of those who were less well known. In