I wanted to share an experience I had this week. As usual I was in a rush like many people in the city with our busy day to day lives. I was just finishing up developing some photos from my recent wedding and I heard the voice of someone behind me who sounded a bit confused about the photo machine. I looked into the reflection of the screen and saw an older man patiently waiting behind me, holding his camera, and inquiring as to what the machine did. I turned around and offered to help him with his photos. For the next several minutes we proceeded to flip through pictures of neighbours and friends until we came upon a picture that brought tears to his eyes. He was at a loss for words. I caressed his back and asked if it was his wife. He said yes and that she had recently passed away. I too began to cry. I asked him how long they were married for and he said 57 years. Her name was Margaret and by his own omission, she was an incredibly beautiful, kind, and forgiving person. As he spoke of his wife thoughts ran through my mind of how painful it would be to loose the love of your life after all those years. Yet, he seemed so grateful for having those years because most people never get that much time. We spent the next two hours just talking and I quickly forgot about all the things I had to do that day. We discovered that we both shared the same career path and a love and passion for teaching. In fact, he was a teacher at my former high school but retired before I started. I learned that he outlived all of his older siblings and that he and Margaret had no children. Again, I felt sad that he had no kin or immediate family. But instead of focusing on that, he commented numerous times about how fortunate he was to have known so many great friends in his life. Most importantly, he spoke with a calm confidence that this life is really just about the love and kindness we have for one another. It was clear that in his 83 years, he had come to know early on, what many of us find out far too late in life. As our chat came to an end, I gave him my phone number and asked if I could visit him again. He quickly began to tear up. He thanked me graciously for my companionship and agreed that we would meet again soon. I am certain he thinks I helped him in some way but the truth is, his gift was far greater. This man got me to stop and think about the things that really matter in life. So often we get caught up in our own issues or stresses and forget to look to the bright side. We forget to be grateful. And we forget about the power of human connection. It's not the cars we drive, the house we live in, the places we go, or the things we own. It's about the love we have for one another. That's really all its about. Without it we have nothing. We must be more kind, patient, and generous to one another; open doors and say thank you. And when you see a funeral procession, pull over and show respect; no one is in that much of a hurry. You will greatly appreciate it some day when it's your family member. People will always remember how you made them feel, so make that impact a positive one. And unless you've walked in someone's shoes, never assume you know their struggles; everyone's path is different. Appreciate the time you have with your loved ones. I'm sure my new friend would give anything to have just one more day with his beautiful wife. Live your life in such a way that at the end, you have no regrets. And lastly, don't be afraid to talk to a stranger. At the end of the day, we're all just people trying to navigate our way through this beautiful thing we call life.