We can do no great things; only small things with great love.

Mother Teresa

Over the year, Pádraig saved for a Gaeltacht fund. Last week, he invited us to go with him to Connemara. Just for a couple of nights. We went to Cheathrú Rua, Furbo, Ceardlann in Spiddal, and many other places where he had spent time with his friends.

It was a journey that opened my eyes and my heart. I had heard so much about these places when Pádraig came back from the West. But what Connemara really meant to him I never understood.

When we were walking down the Main Street in Cheathrú Rua, a young woman stopped to great us. She knew Pádraig and his sister and started chatting away about their common adventures in the Gaeltacht.

It was a small, short encounter with a big impact on me and my understanding of the importance of this place in his life.

Yesterday morning, I went for a 10 mile run in the park, together with a friend and a few thousand other people.

We took the picture on the podium before the race while we were still fresh and all worked up for the race to start. Power of Support.

Our lives are sometimes so busy that we get our priorities wrong. When Pádraig went to Connemara, my preoccupation was to get him to the bus in time, and collect him from the bus stop when he got back. That was important. But I should also have taken more time to understand what it meant for him to spend time there. When I started running about 10 years ago, I went for a good time. Now I run to clear the mind, and to stay healthy and fit.

I cannot do great things. But I can do small things, with great love.