For everyone, at some point, life is tough. It’s what you do in the face of the toughness that matters.

My dad reminded my two younger sisters and me of this maxim when we were small, and it’s helped guide me through the ups and downs of adult life.

Life has tossed Cathy Carroll, profiled in our recent Catholic Schools Week issue, some tough times. She’s endured cancer and a double mastectomy, along with a parent’s greatest heartache, the loss of a child.

Short-haired and with an eye for style, Carroll is full of spunk, wit and humor. She’s always been a go-getter.

More than 20 years ago she offered to drive students, along with her own daughters, back and forth from Maryland to Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington to ensure they had a great Catholic education. Long after her daughters graduated, she’s still at the wheel of her 77-passenger school bus.

But even though she may be naturally positive and energetic, I believe Carroll has cultivated her joy-filled personality by continuing to live life fully, in spite of tragedy and sorrow. It’s not that she did not grieve — or does not still grieve — her losses but that she’s made the choice to wake up each morning and see the beauty and the good in life.

Sure, life’s tough, but it’s also full of joy, and I believe those like Carroll remind us that no matter how hidden it feels, we can find it.