When the young die

I received news that an acquaintance had lost her 9 year-old daughter recently.

My thoughts and prayers are with her. How a parent deals with that kind of tragedy is beyond me. They say nothing is worse than having your child die before you and I sincerely believe that is true. Because a parent will always have the highest hopes and dreams for their child. They nurture their kid so that he/she will have a long fruitful life in front of her, to maybe achieve more than her/his parents did and hopefully to be a better person.

How does one console such a tragedy, what does one say?

How can one go on with life remembering the exact moment your child was born, when he/she first smiled and what her/his first words are - and know there will never be another first for him/her. No matter how strong the parents are - I cannot imagine coming home and looking at your child's room and imagining her/him running towards you with that cheeky smile of his/hers and know that that will never be possible?

I guess the only way to get through it is to have faith in Allah for HE has HIS ways and who are we to question what they are. In the meantime, be strong and gather courage from each other. Tears and time will heal all, eventually.