[It can be] is so difficult to see the value and purpose of suffering, especially when it strikes the ones we love. 

St. John Paul II, our recently canonized holy father, knew suffering throughout his life.  He lost all of his immediate family members by age 20, lived through the Nazi occupation of his beloved homeland, and then suffered through years of Communist oppression and even an assassination attempt as pope.  Never one to be discouraged, he connected his sufferings to the cross of Jesus Christ and found meaning in making an intentional gift of self.  As pope, his 1984 apostolic letter, Salvifici Doloris, is a scripture-laden reflection on the meaning of human suffering.  I highly recommend perusing this letter, especially to those who are trying to make sense of the daily crosses of life.