Saturday, August 18, 2012

An Awesome Tribute

Today was the memorial service for my beloved Oma. My sister put together an awesome tribute that really touched our hearts. I could listen to the last part of this video over and over again. If you've got three minutes to spare, please watch this with your sound turned on.




As part of the ceremony, I read the following poem. It wasn't easy to get through, but I think the message was conveyed.

She is gone

You can shed tears that she is gone
Or you can smile because she has lived.
 
You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her
Or you can be full of the love that you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she is gone
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

David Harkins

3 comments:

Jillian Mahan said...

What an amazing tribute. The end brought tears to my eyes! Such a special video to have that you can watch as many times as you want and show Dutch when he gets older! Thanks for sharing!

Michele said...

Oh Janet! That was a wonderful tribute to a great women. What a great way to keep her close to you and to share with your children. I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing this with us. It truly touched my heart and the ending is just so beautiful.

Unknown said...

I have watched this several times and plan to continue to do so. I love her part at the end. It's so sweet and touching.