Reflection

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Is it the past or the present? Is it the adversity, the struggle, the battle or triumph?

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Right from the wrong, the joy or the sorrow, the conflict or resolution?

What did he see when he looked in the mirror?

I first met him a decade ago, the past was the past, it surfaced from time to time, but it didn’t last.

The past is the past, a reflection of time, a reflection of the man he was.

I saw a man with a tough exterior and sometimes somewhat of a perceived mean demeanour.

I saw a man that was trying to right the wrongs of his past.

Trying to live in the moment, time wouldn’t last.

I saw a man with a heart of gold.

I saw a man that he had become, years of struggle had subsided, the past is the past, but some things will never be forgotten.

I saw a man that was making peace with himself along his journey, a smile and a laugh that would light up a room, I saw the commitment and love he had for his family. That’s the man I knew and admired.

Sure I saw the temper from time to time, which didn’t linger, it usually ended in a few unique curse words and a few others uttered under his breath.

I sometimes saw the protected and guarded exterior.

What did he see when he looked in the mirror?

The stories were endless. They never got old. They had a life of their own.

I saw his love and passion for sport, playing well into his 70’s. The stride may have been a little shorter, but the love of the game was as strong as ever.

Stubborn to the bone, that was his character, don’t worry a few laughs were had over the years at that expense, he laughed along with it realizing sometimes he was actually wrong.

The moments of time have been replayed often these days, a reflection, a memory they certainly won’t go away.

The kind, thoughtful man he had become at the end had to fight another battle that this time could not be won.

The fight in the man never left, it was his spirit, it had defined him, it was just who he was.

From the tractor, to the boat, to the course or at the rink, he needed his own time, time to think.

The man I saw was reflective at times, proud of the person and the man he had become.

The journey was now complete, the learning was done.

I will miss the man I met some ten years ago, I will miss our conversations and the laughs we shared.

The man with the tough exterior who always cared.

On a weekend that we all take time to reflect, and say thanks.

We pause today to pay our final respects.

We say goodbye to the man, a husband, a father, a family member and a friend.

I know what I saw in the man. I will miss his presence. I will miss my friend.

Goodbye Bill