An introduction....

Me as a child

Like many children, I played, "house" and I imagined what life would look like when "I grew up." I looked up to my parents as role models. To this day, I pray that I will be as good of a mother as my mom is. What defines a good mother anyway I wonder? Is it how nicely dressed a child is? Is it how clean the house is kept? Is a good mother defined by whether the mom chose to stay home or work? This is really not an easy question, and it will be debated for many years to come. But what I admire the most from my mom is her selflessness, her devotion, and her way of always making me feel truly loved.

This is a blog inspired by a loss, but a true loss only comes when one has experienced a great blessing. Let me introduce myself and begin telling the story of how our little fighter Wyatt Grant Stine as well as his brothers and sisters who left us too soon, and his brother Hunter who keeps us smiling.

This is harder than it should be to describe myself, but following such a deep loss I am unsure who I am. At first that was frightening, but now it's a little exciting. I get to really look at who I am at the core. I get to redefine myself. Introductions often start with Hello my name is....., so I will start there.

My name is Crystal, but it is also Mommy, Sis, wife, daughter, teacher, neighbor, and friend etc. We all play so many roles in life. I have always striven for perfection in all these roles, but I have learned that perfection is not the right goal because without mistakes, one cannot grow. Instead I am want to aim to bring an element of love in everything I do. I want to be the person who can both celebrate and grieve along side the ones I love, and I am asking that you all join me in this journey as well.