Saying Goodbye

We have had 7 months to say goodbye to everyone. This has seemed like a long time and yet, as of today, not enough time. I am learning that not everyone likes to say goodbye. More often people just fade out of your life. Many people whom I have seen daily have said that they do not want to say goodbye. For my Christian brothers and sisters, I can agree that it will not be goodbye but more of a “See you later . . . in heaven.”

One would think that this process would get easier with more practice. It does not. I have said goodbye to so many different people over my lifetime. I have friends now in so many places because I have lived or visited there. Facebook and other media are certainly making it easier to stay in touch and up-to-date with events in their lives but it isn’t quite the same as being face-to-face and spending time together.

I am intentionally trying to say goodbye to every thing, place, and person. As we have packed our treasured items away for storage I have placed them in my memories. My husband and I both have noted visiting specific places for the last time: our last bike ride on the Sakatah Trail, our last time driving to Madison, and crossing the Mississippi River have taken on new meaning. All the while we have paid attention to all the colors and specifics of each place. I have been purposefully working to have closure with clients, coworkers, and friendships. I have spent much time with my parents and my children.

My family will be the hardest to leave as we move to Hong Kong. I will trust that our good and gracious God will keep them all and us in His care. This Bible verse takes on new meaning for me: “I settle on the far side of the sea. Even there your hand guides me, and your right hand holds on to me” (Psalm 139:9-10). All of our family has been wonderfully supportive of what we are doing. I know that it is hard on them as well. My hope is that others will pray for them and care for them in my place. I also pray that they will cling to their faith in our gracious God who will protect and hold them.

While it is difficult to leave behind family members who are so very close and dear to my heart, I know that I will keep in touch with them and see them every time we come back to the US. In the meantime, I will miss my co-workers, my friends at church, all the people who give me hugs along the way, and all the people in my life who live in far away places or friends so very dear to me who live in countries that I long to visit again.

Each person I have met has made an imprint on my heart. At this point my heart would certainly look more like a patchwork. To quote E. E. Cummings: “i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart).”