I think there’s some part of me that’s still 10-years old. That kid still believes that all his friends will always be his friends and their parents will never grow old or get sick and die.

He thinks that pets stay young and healthy forever and all kids are safe and secure with good parents and good homes. He thinks all his favorite places will always stay exactly the way he remembers them. He thinks that the world is exciting and never dangerous, and that life always has a happy ending and the good guys always win.

I know better. A friend of mine whose daughter I went to church and school with said goodbye to his wife for the last time this side of heaven today. I know I’ve said goodbye too many times already.

The world is not safe. Many kids don’t have good parents or good homes. In fact, they are probably in the most danger in their homes. Many children die from starvation and preventable diseases. Many lives do not have happy endings. And sometimes it seems the wrong side is winning.

But the 10-year old in me still thinks there is still beauty and joy around every corner. He thinks that ultimately good wins and all those who said their goodbyes will one day be able to say their hellos again. That lost doesn’t mean gone. It just means “see you later.” The grown-up me agrees.

There’s a lot about life I don’t understand. There’s a lot I wish I could fix– loved ones I wish I could bring back to their spouses, their children, and their parents. Even pets I could make come back.

I wish I could ensure that every child ever born a good home and a loving family and enough to eat. That every child gets to grow up in wonder at the world and grow old and get a happily ever after. I can’t.

But my God makes all things new. My God will restore the years that the locusts have taken, what disease and old age and tragedy have stolen. My God will give back a thousand times what we have lost. My God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. My God wins and we win, too.

That’s my true myth. My real-life fairy tale. My “too good to be true but also too good not to be” story. My happily ever after.