Goodbyes

 

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement
Goodbyes

Laughter rang out at every meal. Hugs abounded. Love reigned. A family reunion renews love and cements ties between people who live too far away to see one another regularly. My heart felt as if it would burst with joy from watching all the happy children playing together, all the conversations, all the sharing of triumphs, all the interest offered. Shared dreams, comfort offered, ‘atta boys’ conveyed. How thankful we felt for every effort to bring this reunion about, all the resources used, every contribution that made the reunion come to pass.

Then it must end. People must return to routines. Some to jobs. All to responsibilities. The reality of distances is unavoidable. We had to say goodbye, but we could add, until we meet again. With teary eyes, we hugged goodbye, and asked God’s blessing on each one as they left. We acknowledge that the art of goodbye is an important skill in this transient world. God can help us with the goodbyes as well as the happy hellos. Every time we give up the delight of the presence of our beloved ones, we strengthen our surrender muscles. We start by going to God to help us with our goodbyes. He knows how to direct our thinking so that we can find the approach that helps us through our goodbyes. He is there for us.