A Highland Tribute

We took a drive up through the highlands this weekend. Begining with a tour of the small-but-stunning town of Stirling on Friday evening and Saturday morning, and ending with an enjoyable sprint from Inverness to Edinburgh on Sunday evening.

In between I was witness to some of the most amazing scenery I have ever been so privileged to see. The Scottish Highlands are an absolute wonder. As the shores of Loch Lomond gave way to the bare hills of Rhannach Moor, Glencoe Valley, and Loch Leven, words were stolen and replaced merely by repeated gasps at the beauty that was before me. In much the same way, Loch Ness took my breath from me as I gently immersed my face in the cold, cloudy waters (keeping a promise to my mother that I would pass her greetings on to the fabled monster), not just with its icy temperatures, but with the sincerity and drama of the surrounding landscape.

It is a beautiful thing to see a cloud swallow entire hills just metres from where you're standing. Hills that, when visible, are incredibly steep, rocky, seemingly unconquerable, eternal, formidable; hills that defeated the Romans over 2000 years ago, that held at bay the English armies for almost as long; hills that have changed highland hands hundreds of times, but have never themselves changed or relented. Hills that must still succumb to the gentle rolling of low-lying rain clouds, rendered completely invisible by nothing more than wafts of air-filled water.

An old friend of mine passed away recently. He was a proud Scot, whose genuine excitement travelled halfway around the world when I called him from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. Pop was a man who lived life because that's exactly what the word 'life' means - living. He took opportunities in the same way that he took disappointments - with a smile, and an attitude that reassured you no matter the situation. His grey hair and thick grey beard could not hide the youth that still sparkled in his eyes, nor could his aging exterior contain the energy that he still exuded.

He wasn't a huge man, but he had an unconquerable sense of humour, an amazingly kind heart, and an incredible spirit. All who knew him will miss him dearly, without exception.

In passing his body may have completely disappeared from this world, but I know that he is here, somewhere, just behind the clouds.