I heard this sung around New Year's many years ago. It's a simple poem, sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

I'm thinking about it now, because a guy I knew in grade school recently committed suicide. He was handsome, popular, recently married, and highly intelligent. No-one knows why he did it. I saw his picture in an old yearbook the other day, still smiling and happy.

Here's the song.

"It singeth low in every heart,
We hear it each and all,
A song of those who answer not
However we may call.
They throng the silence of the breast,
We see them as of yore,
The kind, the brave, the true, the sweet,
Who walk with us no more.

'Tis hard to take the burden up
When these have laid it down.
They brightened every joy of life,
They softened every frown.
But oh, 'tis good to think of them
When we are troubled sore;
Thanks be to God that such have been,
Though they are here no more.

More homelike seems the vast unknown
Since they have entered there;
'Tis not so hard to follow them,
However they may fare.
They cannot be where God is not,
On any sea or shore;
Whate'er betides,Thy love abides,
Our God, forevermore."

Happy New Year, and may the lessons of the old year never leave us.

Survey courtesy of Liz's resume: luminarumbra.blogspot.com

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
01. Joi
02. Joi-to-the-Weaver
03. Betsy (only to family)

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
01. Angeltread
02. B8tsyJoi
03. LoneJedi

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
01. The fact that no-one can figure out what color to call my hair and eyes
02. my refusal to settle for cookie-cutter fashion
03. my reading speed

THREE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT YOURSELF:
01. The fact that no-one can figure out what color to call my hair and eyes
02. my impatience
03. my lack of interpersonal communication skills

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
01. Norwegian
02. Norwegian
03. Texan

THREE THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND:
01. chemistry
02. why smart guys go for astounding stupid girls(and vice versa)
03. people who assume that they are absolutely right and everyone needs to become JUST LIKE THEM!

THREE THINGS THAT ANNOY YOU:
01. people who assume that they are absolutely right and everyone needs to become JUST LIKE THEM!
02. People who use the same slang expression OVER AND OVER
03. People who cannot take their headphones off for one minute to have a normal interaction with another person. (same goes for cell phones)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
01. vulnerability
02. tornadoes
03. talking to condescending people

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
01. Reading
02. E-mail
03. insanity

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
01. Favorite purple slouchy sweater
02. black pants
03. Torrey ring

THREE THINGS ON YOUR DESK:
01. Bills
02. cards
03. ink set

THREE THINGS YOU SAY THE MOST:
01."Drat!"
02. "Stupid art department!"
03. "I need a cat."

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS/MUSICAL ARTISTS AT THE MOMENT:(in no particular order)
01. Jason Mraz
02. Billy Joel
03. The Beach Boys

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITES SONGS AT THE MOMENT:(again, in no particular order)
01. Semi-Chamed Life
02. 1985
03. Curbside Prophet

THREE PEOPLE YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME WITH:
01. Roommate Rachel
02. Roommate Liz
03. Roommate Marcy

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS:
01. Um...insanity. I have insane friends.
02.The ability to thouroughly enjoy brainless TV shows (Alias, Babylon 5, Stargate...)
03. They like fantasy/sci-fi and agree that it's a god genre

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE LIQUIDS:
01. Mercury (it just looks cool, all silvery and stuff)
02. Trader Joe's hot chocolate/mocha stuff. Yum!
03. Water: it's so versatile!

THREE FAVORITE CHARACTERS OF LITERATURE:
01. Amberle (Elfstones of Shannara)
02. Aragorn
03. Alyosha Karamazov

THREE FAVORITE FOODS:
01. chocolate
02. muenster cheese
03. bread

THREE THINGS YOU WOULD WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
01. humor
02. acceptance
03. chivalry

THREE THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:

01. When they try to be chivalrous. it's cute
02. when they stand up for something
03. when they protect someone else

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOUR GENRE:
01. Bohemian
02. unique
03. artsy

THREE THINGS THAT STAND OUT IN YOUR SPACE:
01. My stuffed cat Fred
02. the incredible mess
03. My handmade clothes

THREE THINGS YOU CAN'T DO:
01. lick my elbow
02. whistle
03. watch the scene in Hary Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Ron is puking up slugs.

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
01. making clothes
02.making things
03. learning about Anglicanism

THREE THINGS YOU WANT REALLY BAD RIGHT NOW:
01. a degree
02. a job
03. a cat

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
01. writer (fiction and non-)
02. bookseller
03. fashion design

THREE WORDS THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
01. dreamscape
02. rutabaga
03. coalesce

THREE PLACES YOU WOULD GO ON VACATION:
01. Scotland
02. Norway
03. Hawaii

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
01. Go overseas
02. get a book published
03. meet a favorite author