Had this arrived as a submission, I probably would have rejected it
She seemed to have it all. My seminary classmate was bright, popular, pretty. She was always surrounded by a bevy of friends, chatting and laughing, light and carefree. Her family was well-known and prominent; doors opened easily for her.
Through the three years of seminary, I watched this from afar — our social circles didn’t overlap. Until the last semester. Then, we were thrown together while working on a project.
Up close, she was different. I discovered a pensive, serious side. Slowly, other things emerged. She shared difficulties she was experiencing, strained relationships within her perfect-looking family. Behind the easy laugh lurked so much pain.
I don’t know why it surprised me — I knew everyone had their pekel — but the revelation that the girl I would have labeled “has the smoothest life” was struggling with several formidable challenges left me shaken.
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