Saying Goodbye

Smiles Breaking Through Tears: 

Dying is a gradual diminishing and final vanishing over the horizon of life. When we watch a sailboat leaving port and moving toward the horizon, it becomes smaller and smaller until we can no longer see it. But we must trust that someone is standing on a faraway shore seeing that same sailboat become larger and larger until it reaches its new harbor. Death is a painful loss. When we return to our homes after a burial, our hearts are in grief. But when we think about the One standing at the other shore eagerly waiting to welcome our beloved friend into a new home, a smile can break through our tears.  Henri Nouwen; Bread for the Journey

I have come to realize that saying goodbye isn't a one time statement; it is a process. Letting go of someone who has impacted or influenced our lives in significant ways is a slow and gradual adieu -- like watching a boat leave the harbor. We linger on the shore until we only think we can still see the sails, hoping for just one more look, one more chance to wave farewell. But in the end, we must turn, and let the boat sail on to its destination, faithful that it is a beautiful view from both shores.