Dear Lil' Sparky,
Your life may have been short, but it was impactful.
You started in the most uncertain of circumstances, traveling across the world only to find yourself alone in an unfamiliar place, your future left hanging in the balance.
But from the moment mom rescued you from that dusty South Carolina warehouse, you would never have to feel that loneliness again.
I recall the moment I first set eyes on you, having traveled across the world again to your new home with me in Norway.
In an instant, like the flip of a switch, a bond was formed.
Nevermind the naysayers, who said you were too small, too weak, too basic - these were the qualities that endeared you to me.
And what transformed into something new: you became Lil' Sparky.
I knew we were destined for a great many adventures together. I could feel it.
You could not wait to spread your wings, reach for the skies. A rainstorm was powerless to stop you, for where you went the sun followed, and the rain could do no more than cast a beautiful rainbow upon you.
You soared above islands and waters, buildings and roads, across meadows and over mountains, to bring me to places I'd never been before. You showed me cozy cabins, great falls and so much more.
I would not have wanted to experience it any other way.
And so it was that fateful day as we gazed up the spectacularly ferocious waterfall cascading down in front of us.
The clouds, the mist, the valley - they all tried to warn us that this wasn't our time, that we should stay put. But staying put was not in your nature.
You bravely approached the falls, seeking to show me, show the world, it's deepest beauty. It was, after all, your Steemit friends who inspired us to venture to such places and capture these moments.
We'll never know for sure what happened next, what caused you to become disoriented and lose your track, becoming lost forever.
But I know that you rest peacefully now, out in the magnificent nature that you so dearly loved.
It could be easy to second guess your eagerness to explore that day, and to regret your final moments, but we cannot live that way.
No, indeed your life metaphorically represents what the spirit of adventuring is all about, what this life is all about, even in the way it ended, for you would not be content to settle and wonder "what if?".
We can choose to sit on the sidelines, play it safe, not take the chances. And it's true we have to be smart and calculate the risks, but the biggest regrets in life are the opportunities passed up, the experiences missed - the what ifs.
So your life, abrupt as it may have been, serves as an everlasting reminder that we can't be afraid to go for it, don't wait but make things happen, create the opportunities, and live life to the fullest, down to the last drop.
Your spirit lives on.
Lil' Sparky
2017-2017
Thank you to the Steemit community who have supported us through the ups and downs. We will overcome minor setbacks to continue bringing you to the places we love in the best way we can.