I understood her frustration as I listened to her share her feelings of hurt and sadness. I didn't want her to experience such pain either and could have shared her desire for things to get back to "normal." Here's how I actually responded:
"No, you can't have a normal life, because what you're going through is normal."
As a pastor, I interact with people when they are doing well and when they are not, when they're having surgery or worried about an adult child or dealing with a loss of a job or divorce. And let me tell you, there is no normal.
Everyone has seasons that are extremely difficult and trying - it's not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when" and "what." That's normal.
Our choice, then, is how we respond to these seasons. Do we reach out? Look for help, either within ourselves or from others? Do we act out in some way? Turn to self-destruction?
My hope is that whatever season you are in, you are open to God's healing presence to make you whole. That might not mean the situation will go away (in fact it probably won't). But you can still be whole in the midst of whatever you are going through.
Until the season changes, because every season changes eventually.