STEPHANIE MORK

For my family, 2017 hasn’t started out in a way that anyone could have imagined or could ever understand.  In the early hours of January 1st my baby nephew of 23 weeks old passed away.  Something too tragic to even comprehend is a life lost that never really began.  A life that would have/could have been full of love and laughter and mistakes and triumphs and learning.

A sorrow that we will never understand the why or how but something that will mark this year with a big black X – but nonetheless that black X  is covered with a big ole bright white light that comes from the sweetness of the hours my nephew was loved and cherished, the people that have supported this family and the fact that little Afton is hanging out with Jesus right now.  The double edged sword of being a human has reared its head this 2017 early on with the sweetness of life and the tragedies of life and the in betweens that we sometimes take for granted.

All lives lost deserve mourning and grieving and we will grieve for Afton’s life, but to most of our dismay time doesn’t stand still.  How do you even look past something like this to the future, when what you imagine the future will be like changes so drastically?

What I can say is this: hold on to your loved ones, cherish the sweet moments, celebrate the triumphs but also sit in the tension, embrace your tears, feel your feelings and do it with people by your side because nobody can do this alone.

Every New Year it seems there is something bad about the old year.  But friends, what was good about that year?  Turn the tables on yourself and look at life from the flip side of the coin.

No year is perfect, and 2017 is no exception but there is still a lot of love and kindness and laughter swirling up and about and around – and I can feel that it is going to cover the rest of this year like an overly frosted chocolate cupcake with rainbow sprinkles on top.