1 Dec 2025 ~ HOW LUCKY I AM

I understand only one thing about loss and grief, it is not over. As long as I live there will always be this hurdle to overcome. But, for now at least, I have come to the same conclusion as Winnie the Pooh did: "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

Indeed, how lucky I am to have had friends to share a weekend retreat in the Eastern Free State mountains with. How grateful I am for the color they have added to my life while they were still part of it. 

This morning I am looking back at 54 years of living, and there are so many things to mourn. But as I contemplate the losses of a lifetime, I feel overwhelmingly grateful. Of course I am not glad that the people I love are gone. I am thankful that I had the privilege to walk beside them. I am grateful for their input in my life.

Thank you Sarel, Gerhard, Rita, André, Rupping, Louis, Wynand, Maryke, Riaan, Corrie and many others who have passed away. 

Thank you Pieter, Hannes, Jaco, Len, Hennie, Jan, Lucas, Johan, Hanno, Almero, Gielie, etc. whom I lost because life took us to different places on this planet. 

Thank you to those who, for some reason or the other, abandoned our friendship.

All of you left a footprint in my heart that will always be cherished…