At my Dad’s retirement service last year, he’s a Methodist Minister, he chose to use the words of Bob Dylan to tie the ends of his working years together.
You might take a guess at The Time’s are a-Changing;
“If your time to you
Is worth savin',
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.”
Or perhaps Blowing in the Wind;
“Yes, 'n' how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.”
But no, instead he went for – what is now my favourite Dylan track - Forever Young.
Many of you will probably be au fait with some of the lyrics to the song. It’s a poetic list of wishes from a father to his son, and whilst it encompasses some profound life lessons that we all could take something from – “May your hands always be busy, May your feet always be swift, May you have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift, May you always be courageous Stand upright and be strong” as just a reminder, or taster - it returns at each chorus to reiterate the importance of remaining youthful, staying Forever Young.
He does this, I’m sure for a myriad of reasons; (we know for instance that he’s never been overjoyed about the prospect of ageing), but I choose to interpret this focus on youthfulness as being indicative of Dylan’s greater sense that there is a wisdom beyond those of us with life experience under our belts - and that wisdom comes from children.
This thought isn’t unique to Dylan of course. In Kahil Gibran’s the Prophet, he parallels children to the living arrows from which adults, likened to bows, are sent forth. He then reminds us to strive to be like them but seek never to make them like us. This echoes the verse in the Gospel of Matthew that says we enter the kingdom of heaven only if we are able to become like children.
The Dylan tune and lyrics are set to make another appearance in my life as Dad will be singing them again – this time at the other end of the age spectrum – at my daughter’s Christening in September. And whilst I, of course, do wish for her that she ‘builds a ladder to the stars and climbs on every rung’ my greatest hope is that she remains ‘Forever Young’.