Memory and Celebration

I popped back to England a few weeks ago to spend a couple of days with my Aunty Pauline who was ill in a hospice.  She died the next week and so we went to Lincolnshire for the funeral yesterday.  It was a Memorial but also a Celebration of a long and full life.  Pauline had requested that I led the 'service' and so it became a very personal occasion of grief and remembrance.

It seems somewhat ironic that a time of sadness can also be a time of happiness in recalling fond memories.
For me, Pauline dying was the end of a generation and so I end with something for her.

The Measure of a Life

What is the measure of a life lived well?

How do we put aside our emotions

To see the true value of a friend?

Not by material possessions,

Nor the imposter of fame.

These do not tip the balance;

No judgement on external show.

The worth of a lifetime's endeavour

Is based on more human signs,

A warm and open smiling face 

For all who come in need;

A love of family, a love of friends

And a joy in all of life.

The measure of a life lived well

Cannot be weighed or measured.

No science here, no mathematical proof,

Just a feeling deep from the heart,

For we all know when we've been touched

By the joy of a well lived life.