In Chinese tradition, Qing Ming is a day for remembrance, a day for us to cherish the memory of our loved ones who passed away, and also to pay tribute to our ancestors.

In the past few days, you could see on social media and also in many English-speaking programs, their long list of vocabulary related to Qing Ming, the rituals and the stories about this tradition.

But this is not what I'm going to talk about in my show today, because for most of us, Qing Ming is not just about the theoretical knowledge and words on paper. It is connected to a very soft part of your heart. It is a day for remembrance, and especially if you have experienced the loss of loved one.

So in my episode today, Lulu is going to share with you some of the sayings in English by people who have also lost someone, and they're trying to cherish their memory.

今天小酒館里，就著清明我們來說說懷念。

In English, when someone passed away, you usually see the word “in the loving memory of …”, in the loving memory of someone who passed away.

Sometimes it's very difficult to forget someone who gives you so much to remember. So let's look at some of these sayings from the famous to the anonymous. But love and emotions in these words are very genuine, all the same.

The first saying of the day from the Greek playwright’s, Euripides歐里庇得斯, and he wrote:

Come back, even as a shadow, even as a dream, 歸來吧，哪怕只是一片影子一個夢境也好，歸來吧。

Sometimes we can miss someone so much, but we don't even realize it.

This is why in the second saying, it says:

Sometimes memories sneak out of my eyes and roll down my cheeks.

Sneak out means to secretly get out. So here memories turn into tears. 有時回憶會從眼角偷偷溜出來，滑落我的腮邊。

We may not even realize how much we miss someone until we feel the tears.

There are so many people in the world. Yet for us, there are only a few that truly matter, this is why saying number three said:

Sometimes when one person is absent, the whole world seems depopulated.

Depopulated means not having enough people. 明明只少了那么一個人, 整個世上卻都冷清了.

Sometimes when one person is absent, the whole world seems depopulated. I'm sure a lot of people feel like that when they've lost someone that matter to them the most.

And this is why people would give anything to have them back. Saying number four says:

If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to heaven and bring you home again.

用眼淚和回憶能不能建成通向天國的階梯, 接你回來團聚。

And moving away from this overwhelming sadness and a sense of loss to a slightly more positive note, saying number five says:

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.

夜空的繁星也許正是我們在天上的那些親愛的人們流泄而出的愛意, 讓我們知道他們在天國很好。

Whether you believe in heaven or not, the connection between you and someone you love and care about is likely to stay long after they're gone. Saying number six says：

Those we love and lose are always connected by heartstrings into infinity.

Heartstrings here is the connection between two hearts. 那些我們深愛的人即使離開, 也不會切斷兩顆星之間永恒的紐帶.

Same as saying number seven:

If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them.

只要我們心里仍然愛著, 我們深愛的人就一直沒有從這個世界離開。

This reminds me of the hit film Coco. It's the idea of as long as you remember someone, they're never really gone.

And the last saying of the day is：

We never truly get over a loss, but we can move forward and evolve from it.

Evolve is to grow, and to develop.

我們也許永遠無法忘卻失去親人、愛人或摯友的悲痛, 但是我們?nèi)匀豢梢詮倪@種悲痛中成長, 繼續(xù)向前。

And in the end, we finish today off with a note to all of us who are living. This is a famous saying by Steve Jobs.

He said Almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

幾乎所有的事, 所有外界的期許驕傲, 礙于面子的擔憂和對失敗的恐懼, 在死亡面前都不值一提。

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

記住我們每個人終將死去，才能避免在人生中患得患失。

You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

我們都會赤裸裸地面對死亡，所以在活著的每一天都去追隨自己的心吧。

So with the loving memory of the loved ones that have passed away, we move on, we evolve, and we follow our hearts, and live every day as if it's your last one.

I hope you enjoyed today's program, until next time. Bye.