Blog 1222 – 12.30.2018

For Auld Lang Syne

Those three words literally mean something like, “Days Gone By” and the poem by Scot poet/songwriter Robert Burns has been sung the world over for many many years especially on New Years Eves at midnight. It is both a salute to the past and a look into the future hoping that old friendships will endure and that new ones will begin and flourish.

I wish each and everyone of you reading this a happy and prosperous New Year, full and overflowing with the blessings of health, happiness, and wealth for you and all you love. At that point I hope each and everyone of us will endeavor to widen our own particular circle of love to include much and many more.

I am reminded by that thought of a poem I learned many years ago now. I remember it thus:

“He drew a circle that left me out

A heretic, stranger, a thing to flout

But love and I had the will to win

We drew a circle that drew him in.”

I confess I may not have gotten the words exactly right but the “stranger” thing seemed a good addition to me. The actual quote is:

“He drew a circle that shut me out-

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle and took him In!”

― Edwin Markham

Fanny Brice’s mother in the play and musical Funny Girl gets a laugh when she tells her daughter on meeting the too familiar Nicky that she thinks strangers ought to act a little strange. It was said of my dad and will I hope be said of me in later life as well that “he never met a stranger.” In my mind their are none, only brothers I have yet to meet. And ladies I think of you as brothers too just softer, prettier ones.

The Beatles in one of their earlier song hauntingly sang, “There are faces I remember all my life though some have changes. Some forever, not for better, some have gone on and some remain. But of all these friends and lovers there is no one compares with you. And these memories lose their meaning when I think of love as something new.”

It is, I think, the height of poetic license for anyone over the age of three to say, “I never loved till I met you.” And if you did not what exactly were you waiting for, you had the greatest love of all right there in the mirror to shine that great light of love on all along? I can hear the lovely Rosemary Clooney singing as I close this my last blog of 2018:

“I wish you shelter from the storm

A cozy fire to keep you warm

But most of all when snowflakes fall

I wish you love

But most of all when snowflakes fall

I wish you love.”

For Auld Lang Syne, days gone by, and yet to be, I remain –

Your friend and fellow traveler,

Little brother,

David White