How to Say Goodbye

Goodbyes fill much of our life. Being part of an international organization and global community, our family has had to say goodbye to many friends. On the other hand, relationships are what make life rich. Isn’t it much better to have loved, though that meant saying hard goodbyes, than to never have had those close friendships? We have always said that heaven will be a great place. Apart from being with God, we will be with many of those friends and family whom we love.  And we will never say goodbye again.  It will be a time with no more tears.

This summer was not one of those times. We said goodbye to my mom who died in August; I am grateful that each one of us was able to tell my mom goodbye and that we loved her. Tears still catch my off guard at times when I remember her. A few days later, we said goodbye to our youngest child as we left her in college. We grieve in goodbyes. Having dropped three other children at college before has not made us experts nor made it any easier, believe me.

Texting, Facetime, Skype and other technology has somewhat eased the sting, but saying goodbye is still hard.

I ran across this video some time ago from Michael W. Smith called How to Say Goodbye, Watch the video and read the words…

Tell me when the time we had slipped away
Tomorrow turned to yesterday
And I don’t know how
Tell me what can stop this river of tears
It’s been building up for years
For this moment now

Here I stand
Arms open wide
I’ve held ya close
Kept ya safe
Till you could fly

Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend
And how to harness up the wind
And how to say goodbye

Tell me why
Why does following your dreams
Take you far away from me
And I knew that it would

Tell me how to fill the space you left behind
And how to laugh instead of cry
And how to say goodbye

Here I stand
Arms open wide
I’ve held ya close
Kept ya safe
Till you could fly

Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend
And how to harness up the wind

Have you had to say good bye to a loved one recently?  How did that go?