Losses big and bigger

2017. If I had to define it in one word, it would be a year of loss.

I lost my very dear friend Ann Northington in early January.
Another good friend, John Irby, passed away in late January.
I lost my Dad in May.
One close friend lost a brother, another friend lost a husband last week.

That's just lives lost.

There's the lost trust of my brothers.
Not for lack of trying, we lost all hope of finding a job for Judy.
My lost faith in my contractor who never finished the job on my house.
The loss of 16 trees so far (and the ultimate privacy they afforded) in our back yard.
Coming to the realization that I can't commit as a PREP teacher for HCPS schools.

Those are the personal losses.

Then, the impact of a faltering government and lost faith in the highest office of the country.
The lies. The absence of integrity and honor. The absurdity of the fallout of incompetence.

A weak person might not be able to sustain a sense of normalcy with all of this loss. But I came across this quote this year that has given me hope:

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have."

So that's how I intend to proceed.