Jennifer Hudson

I've been following (as I'm sure a lot of you have), horrified, the tragedy that has struck her family. It was bad enough when I read that her mom had been murdered. Then when news broke that the "male" victim who had been discovered along with her mother was actually her BROTHER, the horror deepened. Along with all of that, we found out that her nephew was missing--which is enough of a blow by itself. But then, when his body was found yesterday....I don't even have the words.

Can you imagine losing a parent, sibling AND nephew all in one fell swoop, especially to those causes? I mean, a car accident, for example, would have been a nightmare, to be sure. But to have that many family members MURDERED--and a child to boot--good God. It's incomprehensible.

I just read this today in one of the news articles:

"Hudson said, "Yes, that's him," when she was shown the face of Julian King on a wall-mounted video screen. She entered the room with her head bowed but "remained strong for her family," said the spokesman. "It was very clear that she was the leader. She held hands with her family. It was obviously a very emotional moment." "

Jesus. After everything she'd already gone through...I can only speculate that at that point, she was simply numb, beaten down. At a certain point, I think, your mind and your heart just kind of shut down, if only to spare you that additional pain. I wouldn't be surprised if she were to get through the funerals and grieving with very little outside emotion--only to break down in the weeks and months to come, as it slowly begins to sink in. The enormity of it, I don't think, can even be grasped. It's like a nightmare from which you never wake up. How can one person even take in that kind of suffering all at once?

If this isn't an example of "money doesn't buy you happiness," then I don't know what is. It's also a glaring reminder that tragedy can strike anyone, at any time. So be grateful for every day, and appreciate those around you.