Really bad things happen

Today on Facebook, I learnt that a six year old boy I had never met had died of acute septicaemia and I cried. A few weeks ago a five year old girl was taken from the street near her home and it seems very likely that she has been murdered by a family acquaintance.
Really bad things happen.
There are many different responses to these horrible events.
The "head in the sand" approach is how I deal mentally with what is happening in Syria . I'm not saying that it is right, but sometimes I am just afraid to let the human tragedy of the situation in. It seems like a flood of murky water that will engulf me if I allow even a chink in my defensive armour. I read a headline, but don't go further, or if it comes onto the news I somehow allow the shocking words to run around my mind, rather than seeping in.
I couldn't stick my head in the sand when April vanished, because I had helped to plant fruit trees at the corner of her estate and know people from the village, which is only 30 miles away. I prayed for her safe return and could imagine a tiny part of the grief and anguish that her parents were going through, and still are.
And today I heard that Caden had died, having followed the story of his battle for survival through the gruelling testimony of his family, mainly his father, who gave a daily update on Facebook. I really respected the way in which faith, hope, love and despair were woven through the whole story of Caden's sudden illness and desperate fight for life.
Maybe faith in a loving God is easier when everything is plain sailing, but it is never more vital than when things are going horribly wrong.
That's all I have to say for now. My heart feels too heavy to know what to write next, but I will return to this painful subject soon.