"Verdriet"

November 2 was All Soul's Day in the Netherlands.
There's an old cemetery behind my building and we heard some singing and decided to go.

The whole cemetery was lit up with candles and you had groups of Dutch people singing around campfires around the cemetery. When we entered, they gave us each a poem and a small electric (but pretty) candle.

This was the poem I got. One group was just sitting around reading the poems as people passed by.
Another was chanting the names of the dead (you could write it and give it to them). "Johny" sounded so nice when sung. I hope he heard :) They also gave us some awesome gluvine.

You could also write a wish and hang it on this big beautiful tree.

"Verdriet" (translation below)

Huilen is een van onze
vele wonderbaarlijke
ingebouwde
genezingsmechanismen

Als we de kracht
en moed hebben
om onszelf met onze emoties
te confronteren
en ze als een deel
van ons zelf te zien
dan kunnen we
onze onverwerkte zaken verwerken
en een voller
en gelukkiger
leven leiden

Een mens is pas in staat
om werkelijk hulp te geven
als zijn opgedroogd
en de storm
van zijn woede
is gaan liggen

"Grief"
(loosely translated)

Crying is one of our
many wonderful
inbuilt
healing mechanisms

If we force ourselves
to have courage
and confront
our emotions
and as a part
of seeing ourselves
we can
move on
to a fuller
and happier
life

Man is able
to really offer help
once his tears have dried
and the storm
--his anger--
has settled