Last night I was at the armoury with my unit, the Lorne Scots. Because it was one of our last parade nights before the summer, we did some PT by playing some sports. They went outside to play soccer. I had no intention of playing with them because of my health issues. I just have not been able to play sports for the past year. But when they started dividing into teams, on a whim I decided to join in. Soccer is one of my favourite games to play. I soon thought I made a big mistake. After running after the ball a number of times I could feel the stress on my lungs. I thought it was the sarcoidosis. Then I looked at the other soldiers half my age and without lung issues having a harder time than I was. It ended up that I got better and was able to run at my top speed (it has been a long time since I could do that).
After soccer, we played rugby. I had never played rugby before. It was tackle and I was not sure how I would do that. Amazingly enough, I tackled a big sergeant all by myself. I took him right down! The soldiers were amazed that the padre did that. It was a great connection with them. This is a fun way for me to build relationships with the soldiers.
The other reason this is good news is because of my health. I never thought I would be that active again. I actually kept up with them and smashed into guys bigger than me. I assumed I would really pay for it the next morning. But I didn’t. I was tired and I had a few muscle pains but nothing bad. It just felt like a good workout pain. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a healthy person. I thank God for this experience.
