In Anne Lamott’s latest book, “Almost Everything: Notes on Hope,” she shares the story of one of her cousins’ Aunt Janet who lost one of her sons at age 12.
Many years later, Janet was diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer and given a year — at most — to live. Janet was determined to beat the odds. And she did. But tragedy visited her family again and she lost a second son in a freak accident.
Surely that much heartache would have snuffed out any remaining will to live and yet, defying all odds, she did live another five happy years.