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Our hearts go out to the families of the 66 people who died in the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804. We offer our prayers to those who lost their loved ones. We pray for their strength as they mourn their loved ones in the difficult days, weeks, months and years ahead.

For those of us who did not have loved ones on board, it is hard to reconcile the feelings of confusion, sadness and anger that follow such an event. The seeming randomness of the catastrophe serves as a reminder of life’s fragility and causes us to search for answers to questions like “Why did this happen?” Unfortunately, answers to questions like this one are rare, and it’s rarer still that the answers bring comfort. We pray that comfort will come to those affected in time, as the memories of joy and love they shared with the departed fill the void left by their absence.

Weighing particularly heavy in our hearts is the memory of Ahmed Ashery and his wife Reham, a young Egyptian couple killed in the disaster. They had sold the family’s home and car to afford a trip to Paris so that Reham could undergo life-saving cancer surgery. They were on their way home from Paris after the surgery, to be reunited with their family. The Asherys leave behind twin daughters and a son. Of course, the other grieving families are enduring equally unspeakable loss. Let us pause to remember them all as we acknowledge our gratitude for the many blessings that surround us.