Every life as the ebb and flow of a great ocean
Carries with it the joys and sadness of the human condition.
Yet through it all we each have the good fortune
To touch other lives. Friends, family and even strangers
Cross our paths, and we may never know what gifts we have given them.
In like manner, they touch our lives, adding to our experience,
Enlarging our world and with love make our place in it better.
So on this day we gather with friends and relations
To contemplate the gifts we have been given, and to give in return.
Ever mindful of those who could not be with us
Those who are missed and those who have gone on before.
To them we raise our glass
As our hearts warm in the glow of their remembrance.
No matter how smooth or rocky our path has been,
On this day, we give thanks for the opportunity to walk it.
And fill our hearts with hope for the days ahead,
That they be filled with joy and love and the simple fortune
Of another day to tread the earth.
