Not Just a Curler

This past Saturday I went to Canada for the memorial service of my curling friend Brian Woodcock. He was literally one day older than me, but promised to never pull rank.

We tend to put people into compartments, little spots in our own minds which categorize them. Brian curled, so in my mind he was a curler.

I met his wife and mother and a few extended family members. So, he had a family. He had friends too beyond curling with whom I spoke. Then I find out he was active in his Church through the St. Vincent DePaul Society. And he worked as an outreach volunteer for the Windsor, Ontario homeless. And he played euchre at a senior center most Saturdays as a type of fellowship with the aging. Pretty soon he was no longer locked in that compartment where I had put him. He was a man who led a full life, who was much more than just a curler. He was a unique and good human being.

Be at peace, Brian, my friend. Be at peace.