Have you ever noticed how bittersweet it is to say goodbye? You dread the parting, but know that it is that rare opportunity to let your loved one know you will miss them and will be thinking of them until the next time you reunite.  You may not say it in so many words, but the hug says it all.

My husband teases me that it takes hours for me to say goodbye when we are at a gathering with friends or family and he isn’t far from the truth. I want to be sure to visit with each person one last time. There just isn’t enough time to spend together to do and say all there is to say and do.   Even when we live close together, we don’t make enough time to really enjoy each other as we should.

We just got to spend the last ten days with our son, his wife, and their 1 ½-year-old son and the weekend with our daughter and her husband. It was fun beyond words to experience these days together and I realize how blessed we are to have gotten to spend the time we did have. Although there were a few tears after they left, I promised myself it wouldn’t be long and we’d be together again. It is one of my reasons for retiring, after all, and if I don’t make the trip to visit, I have no one to blame but myself.

A week ago I said a different kind of goodbye. I kissed the cheek of my aunt Daisy for the last time on this side of heaven knowing that the next time I will see her, she wouldn’t be in her earthly body anymore. Although it was sad, there was a joy in that farewell knowing that she would be reunited with her husband, parents, and siblings and more importantly, our Lord. There is a true sense of peace when we know with certainty that someone we love will be going to heaven when they leave this earth.

In reality, every time we say good-bye, we really don’t know if it is for a few hours, days, weeks, months, or years because there are no guarantees. Although we are a little sad for the days we will be apart, we as Christians know that even if we don’t get to say the lingering goodbye here on earth, we have the joy of knowing that it will only be a short time in the scope of eternity before we are all reunited.

It makes it easier knowing that Daisy will be pain-free from here on out. It also makes it easier to see my children leave knowing that they have each other and a lot of friends and family who love and support them while we are apart.

I trust they will be fine as they go about their lives, and if God’s plan is otherwise, I’ll see them when it’s my turn to go home. In the meantime, I’m going to see a lot of people I really care about over the next few days at the funeral. You know what that means, don’t you? Yep, there will be a lot of laughter, tears, and long goodbyes. I am really looking forward to it.