“Give thanks in all circumstances." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18
After the champagne pops and the ball drops, revelers queue
up the same ditty they’ve been singing for decades. You know the one - it makes
you tear up, perhaps washing away the soul’s inner clutter. Most of us don’t know
all the words. Even fewer know its origin.
“Auld Lang Syne” roughly translates to "for old times'
sake." Robert Burns, a Scottish poet and lyricist authored the poem in
1788. It alludes to the custom of sharing a drink (“cup o’ kindness”) with
friends or raising a toast to loved ones.
Today, it’s popular throughout the world. Countless artists
(i.e., Beethoven) created their own version of "Auld Lang Syne” through
the centuries. In 1877, Alexander Graham Bell aired the tune to publicize his telephone’s
function. In 1890, “Auld Lang Syne” was one of the first songs recorded by Emil
Berliner on his gramophone invention. The song gained more notoriety when it
was sung at the first World Scout Jamboree in 1920.
Long before Dick Clark's ‘Rockin' Eve’ party debuted in 2008, a radio broadcast featuring Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians became the center of many families' New Year's Eve traditions. From 1929 through the mid-1970s, Lombardo closed each show with "Auld Lang Syne."
Times Square featured
the song’s lyrics on its electro-mechanical ticker in 1929, rapidly expanding its
familiarity among American households. Since then, the tune has appeared in TV
shows and movies, famously closing the story of “It’s a Wonderful Life” in
1946.
Today, “Auld Lang Syne” remains one of the most
recognizable songs in the world. Today, it’s played at funerals, graduations, and
as a goodbye or the closing of other special occasions.
A new year may be a
good time for new resolutions. But the ending of an old year is also a good
time for reflecting on what’s passed; treasures once given that we’ll never experience
in the same way again (we'll tak' a right gude-willie waught).
Old friendships are
that sort of jewel. Few gifts in life are as precious as friends whom we once
talked with until dawn confiding our hopes and fears; with whom we shared
thrilling adventures and calamitous failures; and with whom we laughed deliriously
and sat silently in mourning a loss.
Before it’s too late, schedule
lunch with or make that phone call or send that email or handwritten letter to
a cherished friend to simply express again what they’ve meant to you; and still
mean to you. Or if they’re now beyond contact, it might be fitting to honor
their significance with someone who can share the sweet memory of that person you
both once knew.
As you toast the
arrival of 2025, lift a prayerful cup of thankfulness for God’s kindness.
Lord, thank You for giving me such a precious
group of friends to do life with. I’m grateful for the people You’ve blessed me
with, the ones who have loved, encouraged, supported, and uplifted me through
all the twists and turns of life. Amen
