“Saying goodbye doesn't mean anything. It's the time we spent together that matters, not how we left it.” ~ Trey Parker
I debated starting off this new year with goodbyes. But since I believe that the ‘good’ in goodbye is the opportunity for the next hello, as stated in my first blog post, which you can read here as a refresher, I came to the conclusion that goodbyes were actually an excellent place to start. So here we are.
What I didn’t discuss previously was the risk that comes with every goodbye. There’s a likelihood in every parting that there will not be another hello. There is also a chance that the goodbye is coupled with a permanent change. Like when someone moves, be it friends or parents or whoever, there’s still hellos in the future but circumstances are permanently altered, hence a permanent goodbye.
When my bishop was released last year, there was quite the upheaval in the equilibrium of that ward. Was it all negative? No. Was it lasting? Yes. I am grateful for both bishoprics? Absolutely. Goodbyes were said and so were hellos.
Many more things happened, mostly with people moving, like moving myself to a new town and and friends moving to different states and my parents buying a new house. But all were filled with goodbyes and hellos. And my life is permanently different.
And in some ways this is the hardest part for a person like me. I prefer consistency. I like things how they’ve always been, especially when they work. And I like it when the people I care about stick around. But that is not the nature of things that grow, that is not the nature of earth life. To grow, we must change. We’ll be stretched and find our limits but we will also find that most limits can’t actually hold us. It’s up to us to say when enough is enough.
Because of this learning, growing, changing life, I hope I find that for myself. That, in the coming year, I end up somewhere completely unexpected, living life better than I did last year (and I’m proud of how last year turned out. So that might be a taller order than I thought). But more on this another time.
I have one more thought on goodbyes, I’ve written a Generic Goodbye Letter. With permanence in mind, I wrote what my heart seems to say with every goodbye to anyone and anything. And if when you read it, you’ve felt the same way, feel free to share any stories you have with me. Also, if you need to use a copy of it at any point, please do, especially if it’ll help with your goodbyes.
I rarely can bring myself to say even the word goodbye. Goodbyes are the reason I started using, ‘Enjoy your adventures.’ And so that’s how I conclude here.
Enjoy your goodbye adventures.
Generic Goodbye Letter
Dear Sir or Madam,
I will miss you. Our time together has meant the world to me. I’m so glad I was able to meet you and learn from you. Because, for what seems to be the better, your influence has help shaped who I am. And this is what makes it most difficult for me to let you go.
I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to forget you. I don’t want to forget who I was with you. I don’t want to forget our time together. We spent our adventures, mostly laughing. And when there were tears, we were together.
But that is not the case any further. I understand the reasons that both time and space must separate us. Our paths weren’t meant to be connected forever. However, the part of me created by our time spent together remains. And I am grateful for it.
Thank you for your time. It is and was a valuable commodity. I continue to feel the privilege of that gift. Thank you for your support. I knew that I could come to you for both comfort and motivation. You were there for me and I was blessed for it.
Finally, I hope you find the same thing in your pursuits. On whatever road you take, I hope there will be people to give you hope and courage. I pray you discover the strength or peace or whatever it is you are looking for. And most of all, I’m cheering for you, from here to the moon and back, with all the love I have.
Enjoy your adventures.
Warmest regards,
Me
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