All In The Very Same Day Poem by Jim Yerman

Sometimes we are reminded of the wonder of life in colors bright and gay
Sometimes we are reminded of the inevitably of death in colors muted and gray.

Sometimes we are reminded of life and death…and how they interplay
Sometimes we are reminded of this…all in the very same day.

We attended a birthday party…a breakfast in the early morn
where we celebrated with laughter and food the day our granddaughter was born.

This was followed on the very same day by a funeral of the mother of a dear friend…
Our happiness at celebrating her life mixed with the sadness it came to an end.

There was a moment on the way home…in the silence of my thoughts
I had a chance to think about the emotions the day had brought.

At the birthday I saw love and happiness
I saw family and friends and giving.
We laughed, we sang, we smiled…as we celebrated the living.

At the funeral I saw love and happiness
I also saw family and friends and giving
We laughed, we sang, we smiled…as we celebrated a person no longer living.

We are given this gift of life…but there is one thing this gift lacks….
It will not last forever…for one day we must give it back.

It is one of the mysteries we face…never knowing why
we were given life in the first place…or the reason we must die.

So perhaps the best we can do is live a good life…
celebrate every moment with family and friends
and bring as much joy to our time on this planet until our time on this planet ends.

And that is what I witnessed at a birthday party and a funeral
moments of joy as we sang…as we remembered…as we prayed
Celebrating life in all it's glory…
two different ways…on the very same day.