A farewell

We said our farewells to our shop 'Saturday boy' as we used to jokingly call him.  He was 82 and as bright as a button and as sharp as a pin.  He was working until a few months ago and succumbed to a short illness. I worked with him on Saturdays for many years.  The days always passed quickly as he was  full of stories and anecdotes.  Saturdays will never be the same again and I shall miss him.  However, the poem read at the funeral more or less sums up my thoughts.

You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived. 
You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he’s left. 
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him
or you can be full of the love you shared. 
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. 
You can remember him and only that he’s gone
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on. 
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back
or you can do what he’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.