One of my favorite children stories growing up was the book by Max Lucado, "You are Special." (For anyone who doesn't know this story, I suggest you read it. This is a spoiler alert. So, if you would prefer to go read this story first, do it!) The synopsis of the story is this: There is a little wooden town with a bunch of little wooden people called Wimmicks. No Wimmick were the same, and they each had their own box of stickers. The stickers were either gold stars, or grey dots. Everyday, these Wimmicks would give out these stickers and stick them to each other. If a Wimmick was tall, beautiful, a good singer, an athlete, a performer, smart, or anything deemed as positive and/or desirable, that Wimmick would receive gold stars. On the other hand, those who may be small, too round, have scratched up wood, if they tripped, or if they made mistakes, would receive grey dots. No one wanted the grey dots. The main character of the story is a Wimmick named Punchinello. ...
After my parents and brothers passed away in a carbon monoxide accident while I was gone away on a mission, life became A New Normal for me. As I go through life experiences, my eyes are continuously opened to a new perspective on life. Perhaps in your life, you are figuring out your own "New Normal." Life is always changing, but that doesn't mean you have to be alone.