I have only lost one loved one (when I was a teenager), and I have only just started to work in palliative care (2 months) – in only this short amount of time I can echo the countless others doing similar work: it is an honour and a privilege to be here, to witness, to share. It opens one’s heart in unexpected ways – to see and be part of someone else’s life and death. What strikes me and touches me so deeply is the urgency and necessity of love. How much time is left to tell you I love you? How do we ever know how we will go? It gets harder to take life for granted. The good things – love, brilliance, colours – everything burns brighter.

Thank you.