When my dad was sick and suffering from a debilitating stroke that kept him bedridden for six years before he eventually passed, I wondered on several occasions why Fate was so cruel to bestow one of the worst forms of suffering on one of the best and meekest of men. I could not really see any positives during the period but I guess looking back now, there is something I will take from it.
See during the period I was glad I at least was on ground to take care of him along with my mom and my other siblings. He certainly died knowing how much we loved him, and while the sacrifices we made (in terms of time and resources) were quite draining at the time, it was something that we were endowed with the capacity to endure and overcome. We certainly held on to the positives and it strengthened us during the really rough days.
I remember the emotions felt the day he passed. On one hand we were relieved that his suffering had finally ended, while on the other hand we all wept from the realisation that he was permanently gone, only alive in our hearts and memories. I remember the pain from the first year after he passed, how deep it was - now I remember him fondly and with much less sorrow attached to my memories and feelings.
Nothing is so dreadful that doesn't come to an end. Every rough patch, or periods of prolonged suffering eventually conclude. Especially for us in modern society that so much hold on to whatever emotions we are feeling at any given time, this realization is important in getting us to appreciate and understand what is truly required of us during the best and worst of circumstances.