Sermons from the Trail

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

This is hard.

Not because losing someone to cancer strikes painfully close to home.
Not because it's not how I wanted to bring the COTWG back.

But because I don't know if I can pay worthy tribute to Brother Allan.

Allan was a shining example of a member of My Opera. He was wise, witty, multi-talented, and active in the Opera Community. Seeing a new post on my watch list was always a treat. Brother Allan was also among the church's first members, and he created our profile photo.

Allan shared so much of his life, his work, his hobbies, and himself with us through his blog. When he learned he had cancer Allan shared that with us too. He showed a courage that I deeply admired. He even arranged a final farewell for his friends and fans on his blog. It is so wonderful to see all the comments left there and realise how many people Allan touched through the Opera Community.

Allan's last wish was that we "Please keep on laughing, singing, loving, praying and kissing."

I'll do my best, but it will take a little time.

REMEMBER ME
David Harkins

Do not shed tears when I have gone
but smile instead because I have lived.

Do not shut your eyes and pray to God that I’ll come back
but open your eyes and see all that I have left behind.

I know your heart will be empty because you cannot see me
but still I want you to be full of the love we shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live only for yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of what happened between us yesterday.

You can remember me and grieve that I have gone
or you can cherish my memory and let it live on.

You can cry and lose yourself become distraught and turn your back on the world
or you can do what I want - smile, wipe away the tears, learn to love again and go on.

*I can't go on. I must go on. I'll go on.

*Line taken from Samuel Beckett's novel 'The Unnameable.'