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Life is precious.

I just got two emails letting me know that two of my friends have died.

One was an older woman I got to know when she came out to Fortaleza on two teams in 2001 and 2002. She was a wonderful woman full of life and with tons of wisdom. Now she’s gone home and has found rest.

The other is a friend who went to university with me. We hadn’t been in touch much, but were in touch enough for his wife to include me when she sent out an email about his death. I don’t know what happened. He was born the same year as me.

Sat here in my room, having gotten back from a weekend at home, where I spent lots of time with my wee niece who is only 7 weeks old, it’s really hitting home how precious life is. There is such a huge contrast when I think about this tiny baby who has many years of experiencing life ahead of her; and then about my friend who experienced the fullness of life and who has now gone home to Jesus; and then my friend who died too young leaving behind a young family to learn how to cope without him. Three totally different situations which all represent life; a life being lived, and lives that are no more.

My heart is sad and my heart mourns. I mourn my loss, and I mourn with the families of these two.

And I seek to find some way of living more; of making every day count. I don’t know how to do it. Some days I am grateful when I can close my eyes to end the day, but that’s not how it should be. I want to get to the end of each day and see that I made the most out of every opportunity; that I found joy in the little things; and that I could make a difference in someone’s life.

How can I live more? Maybe I’ll never have the answer, but maybe I’ll live more as I seek to find it.

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