The best gift i can give them

Today Gab went to a hockey game with his school. He texted me and sent me photos without me even asking — in fact, I didn’t even remember the game was today — and I got so excited. Just seeing his smile, the way he captured the moment… it made my entire day.

And that’s when it hit me.
That right there — that’s why I moved here.

I can’t give them their dad back. Nothing will ever fill that space.
But I can give them this: a childhood that connects them to his world, to the country that shaped him, to the little everyday joys that once belonged to him and now belong to them, too.

That’s my gift to them.
The biggest gift I could ever give.

They always said, “My dad is Canadian,” or was, and now they finally know what that truly means — the snow, the spirit, the games, the pride, the community, the lifestyle. It’s not just a story anymore. It’s something they’re living.

At the end of the game, Gab texted me:
“We win 🏆.”

The Ottawa 67’s won.
Daddy’s team. Gab’s team. Our team.

And in that simple message, there was everything — belonging, connection, and love that keeps finding its way back to us.

He is Daddy’s son. He is Sean’s son. We are Sean’s family.
Sean is in everything we do and everything we are, for the rest of our lives.

Moments like this are priceless.
They remind me that even in the middle of loss, life keeps offering new ways to keep love alive — not by replacing what was, but by expanding what is.