Celebration of Life Poem

Smile When You Remember Me, and Thanks for All the Happy Times

Thank you all my treasured ones For being here today To say goodbye and see me off In your individual ways

You were each a special, coloured thread In the fabric of my life We joked and laughed and cried together You wrapped me in your love

You made my life so rich and full And for that, I thank you all For loving me and helping me Supporting me through all

The many tasty meals we’ve shared Made my days and evenings bright We drank good wine together And put the world to rights

We worked long hours and saved some lives And counted stars in midnight skies And sat ‘round fires on sandy shores Cooked fresh crab and toasted smores

We’ve walked on trails and beaches Through woods and fields and bogs And laughed at all the antics Of those silly, crazy dogs

We’ve camped and skied and swam in lakes And paddled boats on ocean waves Climbed mountains in the morning haze And shared stories of our wilder days

When finally my time had come I was ready to let go The sadness in my heart Was that you’d miss me and feel low

I want you to be happy And remember me and smile And carry on life’s journey Enjoying every mile

So when you see a heart-shaped cloud Or rainbow in the sky It could be Mother Nature Or me — just saying “Hi.”

© Gill McCulloch, October 3, 2021

On December 3, 2020, my beloved aunt Magriet chose to end her life with Medical Assistance in Dying. Accompanying her on her end-of-life journey was a heartbreaking experience — and an honour.

Magriet was a wise, kind-hearted person who was always there when you needed her. She greatly valued her relationships with family and friends and was a treasure to all who knew her. I wrote this poem for Magriet’s celebration of life, which took place on October 3, 2021.

Rest in peace, my beautiful auntie — your legacy lives on.