A friend was buried today. His service was simple and beautiful. He had struggled with cancer and all that it brings (especially pain) for a number of months. This following poem was included in the program. I was unable to track down the author but I feel that the words are appropriate not only for my friend’s passing but for so many others.
I’m Free-
“ Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free. I am following the path God laid for me. I took His hand when I heard Him call. I turned my back and left it all. I could not stay another day, to laugh, to love, to work or play. Tasks left undone must stay that way. I found that peace at the end of the day. If my parting has left a void, Then fill it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss. Ah, yes, these things I too will miss. Be not burdened with time of sorrow, I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow. My life’s been full, I savored much, Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch. Perhaps my time seemed all to brief. Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief. Lift up your heart and share with me.”
It was a day of shared love and tears but mostly it was a day of quiet joy. We know that even as we bid him farewell others were welcoming him with open arms and smiles in paradise. Sweet reunions await us at the end of our mortality. Family and friends who have gone ahead gather to greet us and lead us home.
Times like this remind us of what is important in life. It’s a time to ponder our own lives to see if we are on the right track. In the end we leave this world with nothing but the things we’ve learned, the memories we have created and the love we have grown. That’s it. There is a hymn that asks, “Have I done any good in the world today?” It’s a good question to ask ourselves regularly.
A John Denver song says it better than I can. “Love is why I came here in the first place. Love is now the reason I must go. Love is all I ever hoped to find here. Love is still the only dream I know.” Let’s all make a commitment today to love and to live each day as if it was our last. It just might be. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?
I’m Free-
“ Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free. I am following the path God laid for me. I took His hand when I heard Him call. I turned my back and left it all. I could not stay another day, to laugh, to love, to work or play. Tasks left undone must stay that way. I found that peace at the end of the day. If my parting has left a void, Then fill it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss. Ah, yes, these things I too will miss. Be not burdened with time of sorrow, I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow. My life’s been full, I savored much, Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch. Perhaps my time seemed all to brief. Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief. Lift up your heart and share with me.”
It was a day of shared love and tears but mostly it was a day of quiet joy. We know that even as we bid him farewell others were welcoming him with open arms and smiles in paradise. Sweet reunions await us at the end of our mortality. Family and friends who have gone ahead gather to greet us and lead us home.
Times like this remind us of what is important in life. It’s a time to ponder our own lives to see if we are on the right track. In the end we leave this world with nothing but the things we’ve learned, the memories we have created and the love we have grown. That’s it. There is a hymn that asks, “Have I done any good in the world today?” It’s a good question to ask ourselves regularly.
A John Denver song says it better than I can. “Love is why I came here in the first place. Love is now the reason I must go. Love is all I ever hoped to find here. Love is still the only dream I know.” Let’s all make a commitment today to love and to live each day as if it was our last. It just might be. That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?
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