There is so much evil in the world. Terrorists, murderers, souls so rotten and corrupt they'd destroy the world for a billion dollars. Simply put, they do bad things. Most bad things in the world can be traced to those who get some sort of emotional or mometary rewards from committing them.
Then there are bad things that happen without a trace of evil nearby. They simply pop up without warning, do their damage, and disappear, leaving only pain and misery behind. Tornados contain not a shred of evil, nor do earthquakes, floods, or heart attacks. We recognize the lack of evil in these tragedies, and we even have a phrase for them: acts of God. Personally, I find it hard to believe that God would act like this, or even sanction such acts, but I'm just another mortal with a Mac and a blog.
My best friends from college lost their baby. Gremlin and her husband have been friends of mine for nearly fifteen years. Losing a baby happens a lot, but what made it especially painful was that gremlin had carried the baby, alive and well, for eight and a half months, before she was hospitalized on Friday and the doctors couldn't find the baby's heartbeat.
As a male, I can never imagine what this is like for her. The most intimate I, as a guy, can be with someone else is through lovemaking. A woman can go so much further: she can have an entire human being inside her, depending on her for nourishment and love. To go through all that, to share such a close relationship with someone, and lose the baby just before she has an opportunity to meet him or her for the first time, is cruelty, plain and simple.
I won't go further with this, or offer specifics on what happened; this is gremlin's and her husband's story, not mine. All I can do is offer her my sincerest condolences and tell you she is recovering at the hospital and should be out soon, reunited with their 22-month old son. And I'll be there for them as much as I'm able.