Farewell my friends

It was beautiful as long as it lasted, the journey of my life, I have no regrets whatsoever, save the pain I'll leave behind.

Those dear hearts who love and care, and the heavy with sleep ever moist eyes, the smile in spite of a lump in the throat and the strings pulling at the heart and soul,

The strong arms that held me up when my own strength let me down, each morsel that I was fed with was full of love.

At every turning of my life I came across good friends, friends who stood by me, even when the time raced me by.

Farewell, farewell my friends, I smile and bid you goodbye.

No, shed no tears, for I need them not, all I need is your smile, If you feel sad, do think of me, for that's what I'll like, when you live in the hearts of those you love, remember then...... you never die.

This poem by Gitanjali Ghei says that at every turn of our lives there have been good friends who stand by us, holding us up when our own strength lets us down. One of the greatest gifts that God can give us is to know good friends and this may be a key to the words of Jesus found in Matthew 11. 28-30 and to the promise in Psalm 23 that God will go with us through the valley of the Shadow of Death.

How does God go with us through that valley and give us rest when we are heavy laden? Well, one of the ways in which he does is through other people; our friends, family and those that he brings specially into our lives at times of illness and loss such as doctors, nurses and chaplains. We are the hands and feet of God where we bring relief, support and encouragement to those who are in need. We can be the rod and staff that God uses to support others as they journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and we can be the means by which he gives rest to the heavy laden when we carry their burden for a time.

And God has shown us how this can be done by sending Jesus into the world to be our teacher and example. “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me”, says Jesus. In other words, Jesus is saying, imitate me, follow in my footsteps, if you want to be my friends and become the hands and feet of God in the world today. What is that we are to imitate? Jesus says to us, “My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them. And you are my friends if you do what I command.”

The poem reminds us of the importance of friendship. The greatest gift that God can give is his friendship, shown to us as Jesus gave up his life for each one of us. We are to learn from him, to love as he loved us, to give our lives for our friends, to be the hands and feet of God for others, to provide rest by lifting burdens from the heavy laden and to be the rod and staff on which others can lean as they journey through the valley of the Shadow of Death.

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Corinne Bailey Rae - I Would Like To Call It Beauty.