Five years ago, we were a nation drenched in talk of war with Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, rising fuel prices and threatening behavior by North Korea — not much different from today’s news. But in the midst of all that, we learned that Elizabeth Smart, a 15-year-old girl who had been abducted from her home nearly nine months previously, had been found alive. In terms of national importance, it was a small story, but for a nation embroiled in bad news, it was a breath of fresh air, and as a nation, we were genuinely glad for Elizabeth’s family.

            On Good Morning America, for example, then co-host Charlie Gibson mentioned that staff members who work behind the scenes of the show and who deal with news of national importance every day actually gave each other high-fives when the news of the girl’s return came in. And so for a couple of days at least, Elizabeth’s return to her family dwarfed even news about the war.

            When you think about it, the story was not only good news, but unexpected news. We are all too aware that many situations like that do not end happily. Abducted children are often found dead, or never found at all. That’s why Elizabeth’s family called her return “miraculous,” and it’s hard to argue with their viewpoint. They knew that the odds were against Elizabeth ever being found alive.

            In spite of that awareness, however, Elizabeth’s family demonstrated a refusal to give up and a tenacious hope throughout what had to be a family’s worst nightmare. While Elizabeth was missing, some observers thought that the Smart family was living in denial. But the good outcome for them suggests that we should be cautious about as

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