"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends." Mark Twain
For many of us, Frank Capra's holiday classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” is an all-time favorite. The story overflows in richness and meaning as George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) contemplates suicide. We accompany George on Christmas eve as he undergoes a life examen with the help of a good-hearted angel. A life of dreams, love, sacrifice, hardship, miserly greed and misuse of power, heartache, disillusionment, and despair transforming into renewed hope through the power of love, friendship and community.
The final scene closes out with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.” A Scottish folk song written in 1798 by Robert Burns and popularized by Guy Lombardo and his band on the rooftop of New York City’s Roosevelt Hotel beginning in 1929. Traditionally, it is sung on New Year Eve at the stroke of midnight to bid farewell to the year's ending. The poem’s title can be translated into English as “Long, Long Ago” or “For the Sake of Old Times. “
In my father’s final days, he revealed to me that this was his all-time favorite song, which is not surprising since his love of people and the friendships he cultivated were deeply meaningful and treasured by him and his lifelong friends. So this song holds special meaning for me growing up in a home that welcomed cherished friends who laughed, danced and loved to celebrate. I think of the era my dad lived through, serving as a medic in WWII, spending four years overseas, surviving the battle of the bulge and returning home with the unspoken scars of war. My mom shared this with me, My grandfather knew a high ranking officer in the army and he sent my father down to Manhatten to meet with him. He offered my dad the opportunity not to serve and my dads response was, "Thank you but I think I will take my chances with the other boys."
Besides being incredibly nostalgic the richness and true meaning of this song offers us a great deal more to unpack and savor.
The first two stanzas begin with merriment and reminiscing of childhood memories and the good old days as we raise a glass or two to celebrate. The middle verses lead us into a recognition of the painful aspects of life, both joyful and sad. There is acknowledgement of life’s hardships but the song quickly springs back in an affirming celebratory revelry.
In the midst of the challenges faced this past 2 years, with political and social uprest, anxiety, loneliness, unending disasters amidst a pandemic, we take less for granted and remind ourselves of what we are grateful for in our lives. Although imprtant, writer Christian Lingner offers brilliant insights on how we can make the best sense of our experiences by using another approach:
“If we accept that our pleasurable and painful experiences do not comprise the totality of our lives, but are merely the setting within which our story has been playing out, then all of our experiences suddenly have the capacity to become meaningful. Like the plot of land in Christ’s parable where a treasure has been buried, our experiences are precious when viewed in light of some underlying value. Our experiences are not what define meaning; they are merely the soil from which we can uncover meaning.”
"When our experiences are understood as the setting and not the entire story, when they no longer need to define our ultimate value, they are utterly transfigured. They take on an aspect indiscriminately lovely and to be cherished. As with the individual movements of a symphony, some dominated by confident major chords and others by questioning minor strains, so also the strands of our life’s experiences can take on a persistent beauty when understood in light of a theme unifying them."
“Auld Lang Syne” points us to relationship as that alone which makes our memories worth celebrating. When our past experiences call to mind those with whom we have walked through thick and thin, these memories not only comfort us in isolation, but also draw us together. Our supreme task and greatest joy lies in the vocation of friendship, which demands of us what we long for: a life of bearing one another’s burdens and sharing each other’s delights. Friendship is, quite simply, any relationship characterized by that beautiful word which stands out in the chorus like embossed print: kindness."
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?”
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
We two have run about the hills,
And picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot
Since auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since auld lang syne.
And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
For auld lang syne.
And surely you will pay for your pint
And surely I will pay for mine!
And we will take a cup of kindness yet
For times gone by!
We have been given the gift of a wonderful life. May you celebrate the relationships that have seen you through thick and thin and let us find continued joy in the vocation of friendship as we bear each others burdens and share in our delights.
“All that you can take with you is that which you have given away.” From the film, "It's A Wonderful Life"
Wishing you and yours a peace-filled and joyous New Year!
With love,
Liz Sorensen Wessel
Note: to read Christian Lingner's full article, "How the forgotten middle verses of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ reveal its deeper meaning on memory and gratitude" Dec 2020 go to: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/12/31/auld-lang-syne-meaning-239618
