I have decided there are a few things in life that never get easier/or better with practice. Parenting is one, parenting in transition is another but the one that stands out to me right now is saying goodbye.
No matter how many times we do it – it is hard, and sad and difficult and heart wrenching. Each one of us processes it differently, my older girls put words to the difficulty my younger boys demonstrate through their emotions how it feels and my husband and I have our own methods of processing the very hard grief of goodbye. The other day my eldest whispered, “Mom sometimes goodbyes make my eyes wet and it hurts…”
There is the goodbye of dear friends, and the goodbyes of places that hold memories and significance. There are the goodbyes of animals that have been special, seasons that have ended and even items that don’t make the “weight cut” but carry significance in our hearts.
Yes my love, I think as I listen to PJ, goodbyes make our eyes wet, they do, and lots of experience in goodbyes does not make the grief of that particular goodbye any less. While we can say with confidence our lives our better for the people in them it is as if we leave pieces of our hearts wherever we go and it is hard and practice does not make the saying or grieving any simpler.
We were told that goodbyes should be hard because we loved, and were loved well.
Praise the Lord dear friends we loved and were loved well here. But I sort of wish my eyes weren’t so wet and that all things got easier with practice…
