I attended a celebration of life this past week honouring a woman who I have known for twenty years and who was only slightly older than I am. The stories that were shared clearly carried the message that she lived fully, with joy and with love. She had been diagnosed with cancer twice before and had beaten some staggering odds. She knew what was important and how precious life was.

There were many difficult moments through the service but none more than seeing her boys, now young men just starting their journey as adults, bravely stand on stage to speak of and honour their mother. It was heartbreaking to think of how many important moments she would miss in their lives.

When I drove home there were two boys waiting in the driveway, hockey net out and sticks in hand. “We want you to come and play with us!” Those words brought me to tears as I thought about how very lucky I am to have these boys – almost young men – who still want to share their time with me, who still want my company and who still want to play with me (even when my skill and strength is no match for them). How blessed am I to have a body that still has the strength and stamina to be able to chase the ball, lift their stick or make a save in net. 

We played for over 2 hours in the sun and fresh air. Later, I quietly thanked each boy for such an awesome afternoon. My gratitude and emotion were lost on them but the preciousness of those moments was not lost on me.