Watched the live stream of the funeral of a family member in another state. It was bright and sunny there. In contrast, it was freezing cold and wet in our state, miserable. The distance helped keeping things at bay. Yet, being me, I tried to concentrate on the words I experienced, instead of the emotions they might evoke.
The relatively famous funeral poem “I’m Free” was used for the occasion. Loving the words, I searched for its author. It turned out that US-based Anne Lindgren Davison wrote the poem in June 1974. As so many people had used the poem since then, while neglecting to mention her name or attributing the poem to “author unknown” or, even worse, listing the poem with someone else’s name, she applied for and received a copyright dated May 1994.
I particularly love these words: “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 times of sorrow. I wish for you the sunshine of tomorrow. My life’s been full, I’ve savoured much: Good friends, good times, my loved one’s touch.”
May we all remember to enjoy the “remembered joy” and “sunshine of tomorrow”.
(Image credit: https://imfreepoem.org/home)
(Belated Posting Day 76 #WarmWinterRead #WWR25 via @librarieschangelives)
Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 