THE JOURNEY BEGINS...
The time has finally come… I am writing my first blog post for my first personal blog - fireworks & fireflies. I could not be more excited to share my journey, in this format, as I navigate life after Joe.
For those who are just happening upon this blog, or aren’t yet familiar, Joe, my son, passed away this May, just seven days after he was born. His story is an amazing one and I am delighted to begin sharing the events as they were then, how things have evolved over the past six months, as well as the unfolding of our lives well into the future.
I feel very strongly that I want to set the tone for these posts up front, as my perspective is unlike most that I have come across so far. In the research I have done so far, I have found many women in situations similar to mine and no two are alike in their expression of grief… or joy. Some I relate to, some I do not. Some have moved me into action, some I want to forget I encountered. Above all else, having contact with other mothers who have endured the death of a child has made it clear to me that I need to share my voice on the matter. So here I am, and I feel so blessed.
Joseph Michael Wallen is my firstborn son. My husband, Chris, and I have both been transformed by his life, however on this platform I will mostly share my own point of view. Chris will undoubtedly appear and share his thoughts from time to time, but generally I will speak from my perspective and allude to Chris, our families, and friends on those terms. I will speak on motherhood and grief, I will speak on gratitude and joy, I will speak on intention and strength, and I will speak above all else about love. I will communicate the shift in consciousness that occurs when a spiritual event like this happens and how I have blended together my human experience and the divine reality that I now understand.
I am eager to take you with me as I reflect on the past, sit in the present, and step toward the future. Thank you for your curiosity, your interest, and your courage to come along as I find my Joey in this life on earth. Your company fills my soul with light, and my deepest hope is to return the favor.
Joe on,
Aubrey
Photo: Juli Thompson, 2016