I first met Kirstie on a blind date in London.  We met at Piccadilly Circus and went for a Chinese meal in Chinatown.  We had crispy duck pancakes and I had fun showing her how to put them together.  I talked mostly nonsense.  Kirstie seemed to listen attentively and might have even laughed along the way.  Yes! I thought.  I have found someone who laughs with me rather than at me. "A result", I thought.  Over the course of the new few months we went out together a few more times.  I even took her to Nandos, I must have been keen.

We eventually both moved to Birmingham to work together as ministers of a student ministry in a church and later briefly led a congregation in Wolverhampton.  It was in Birmingham where I fell head over heels in love with Kirstie.  It was her godliness displayed through her kindness and thoughtfulness mixed with straight no nonsense talking.  She also continued to laugh at my jokes, which was probably her strongest asset (or curse). 

On 4th August 2001, I proposed to Kirstie at Blenheim Palace, the ancestry home of Winston Churchill.  I proposed next to the Temple of Diana, a couple of feet from where Winston Churchill proposed.  We had the incredible grounds of the palace to ourselves for 45 minutes before they opened it up to the rest of the public.  A truly magical day.

We got married just a few weeks later on 22nd September.  It sounds like it was a shotgun wedding, but it wasn’t.  We just really liked each other.  As we were both Christians, purity was important to both of us.  The first time we kissed was at the altar. It was amazing. My wife looked stunningly beautiful and radiant.  Over 300 people filled the church building, but I only cared that my wife was there.  To this day I still have people coming up to me telling me that they were at my wedding and I have no recollection of them being there.  I was just so besotted with Kirstie.  I gave the dumbest grooms speech ever, every time I go to a wedding now,

I am always really impressed with the groom’s speech because I set such a low bar.
Shortly after we got married, we moved to Glasgow to help the young Church planting.  The amazing thing again Kirstie was her capacity to give.  She gave so much of herself to so many people.  She saw needs and tried to meet them.  Buying a week’s worth of shopping for someone in need was quite common for her, both people she knew and random strangers in need.  She didn’t judge the reason why they were in need, she just wanted to meet the need.  She didn’t shout about it, often she would do it in secret, not even telling me.  On several occasions she talked to me about paying someone’s mortgage monthly payment.  We weren’t well off, but we could help.  She put her faith in God, that God would help us if we helped other people. The following bible verse is very true of Kirstie:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, "I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ – Matthew 25

 We had four wonderful children together, Isaac, Joseph, Iona and Daniel.  Kirstie always had a passion for Gaelic, so she wanted to send our children through Gaelic medium education.  Kirstie did what Kirstie does.  She got stuck into everything.  Leading Gaelic songs at cròileagan.  Doing Gaelic bugbook sessions.  She volunteered at the Gaelic school.  She joined Gaelic choirs.  She built many incredible relationships with incredible people.

Kirstie had a career and was very capable.  She worked for Morgan Stanley as a trainee accountant for over four years and later in the charity sector for Hope Worldwide and Saint Aloysius School.  However, her passion was for people. So many people were Kirstie’s friend and have a story to tell about her.

In 2016 Kirstie was diagnosed with cancer.  In 2017 it was discovered that it had spread.  She tried everything to stop it growing.  Hormone blockers, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, vegan diets, Harley Street Doctors, deep counselling and therapy.  But the cancer would not be tamed.  It was very aggressive.  But she was never a victim of her situation.  She never asked, “why me”.  She never played the cancer card to gain an advantage.  I still have so much to learn from her in how to face challenge with courage, determination and grit.  She never gave up.  I am so proud of her.

We had a wonderful marriage.  But it wasn’t without difficulties.  I remember asking her oncologist what the side effects were of the hormone blocker treatments were.  She looked at me and said, “you’ll get it in the neck”.  And she wasn’t wrong.  She could be feisty, but feisty for what was right, feisty against injustice, feisty to defend the defenceless.

As Kirstie’s cancer advanced, we moved to Paisley to be in a bungalow as her mobility was reduced.  Again, Kirstie got stuck into the local community.  Building relationships.  Hosting a Macmillan Coffee morning one year and this year organising a socially distance coffee morning by delivering the cakes to people’s front doors.  She raised £415 just weeks before she died doing this.
Her last outing was with Daniel, our eight-year-old son, to a shopping centre to buy items for a shoebox appeal to send to an under privileged child in a different country.  It is so fitted to Kirstie’s nature that this was the last thing she did.  Once again thinking and giving to others.  Selfless to the end.

Kirstie was the champion of the stay at home mum.  She was the champion of the working mum.  She was the champion of the homeless.  She was the champion of the immigrant.  She was the champion o f those on hard times.  She was my children’s champion.  She was my champion.

She died and now in the heaven.  I genuinely believe this.  I you have doubts I would love to show you why Kirstie and I believe what we do.  She ran the race and claimed her victors crown of glory.

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' – Matthew 25:23

I’ve spent almost 20 years falling in love with Kirstie and I still am.  I miss so dearly.  Until we meet again in Glory.