AULD LANG SYNE

Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Recently I sent an email to friends to wish them a happy New Year and it included the music to Auld Lang Syne.
A couple of people thanked me for the card along with the comment, ‘that song makes me sad.’
I too have always felt morose when I hear that song so I sit here with pen and paper to try and discern why. Unlike some Christmas carols that whip up happy memories from the past, Auld Lang Syne often leaves me awash in tears. An invisible veil drapes over me like a shroud and I long for days of yore.
As I peek through my heavy veil I observe my father singing this ditty with his siblings and me. We are wearing silly hats and holding multicolored horns as well as other silly noise makers. I see my Aunts and Uncles so youthful and happy. For a moment I am back there in my past with all those who were my guides during this my life’s journey. The song ends and I realize that all those loved ones are now gone and I am left to once again grieve their passing.
I only hear this melody once or twice each year and I am fraught with feelings of my own mortality. The world will continue to sing this song each New Year which is the way it should be. It matters not that some of these darling loved ones passed on almost fifty years ago because on the first of January, I will cloaked in their love.
Anne Storey, January 1, 2010