Here comes goodbye.
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Goodbyes are rarely easy.
Over the past three days we’ve had say goodbye again to friends, siblings and lastly my parents at Heathrow airport as our months-long trip back to the United Kingdom came to its end.
There’s always the sadness that comes from not knowing if, or when, I’ll see the people I love again. Last time I said goodbye expecting to see people again soon, a pandemic shut down the world and we didn’t get to see family for three years.
Plus life is fragile. As much as I hope it isn’t, there’s always the possibility that today was the last time I’ll see and be able to hug my parents. These and other thoughts always evoke strong emotions.
Before we left Bristol this morning, I overheard our eldest son say to his sister, “today is going to be a hard day”.
As a parent watching my children say goodbye to their cousins who have become close friends and to the grandparents they adore evokes emotions I never felt before becoming a parent.
We’ve been in Britain nearly 6-months and as the buckle clicked and the bags were stowed, it suddenly didn’t feel nearly long enough. Did I spend enough time treasuring the time, the people, the places? Did I use my time wisely?
Mild feelings of regret always feel my heart but they do not outpace the feelings of gratitude and appreciation for the time I had traveling, laughing, relaxing and bonding as a family of seven and with our closest friends and family.
Now we head home to start the next chapter of our adventure. Uncertainty always makes me feel a little nervous. But God is good.
