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taken in August 2011 when Stevie and family left for Ukriane. photo: GrittyGrace.com

 

Five Minute Friday. These are the rules of the game:

  • Write for 5 minutes.
  • Link to the 5 minute Friday link at Gypsy Mama. (defunct now.) Five Minute Friday is now here.
  • Make an encouraging comment to the person before you…and anyone else you’d like:)

 

GO

Of all the words, this is one I hate…really hate!

I’m tired of  “good-byes”.

Each time I moved as a child

I said “good-bye” to people I cared for.

I tho’t my heart would break each time.

I would lie in bed at night anticipating

those moves and cry over the people I would miss

and never see again!

 

Then there were all the times I had to say good-bye to family

I was only 14 when I left home to go to school in the U.S.

I never lived at home again after that except for vacation visits.

Each move brought change…lots of change.

In some cases, we had to learn a new language to live there.

In others, we had to adjust to new weather.

But always, we had change and many new adjustments.

 

We said “good-bye” to some things we loved

“Hello” to new adventures.

We also said “Hello” to new life-styles occasionally.

Not all were improvements over what we knew.

 

Then there were the final good-byes.

The sudden ones where my dad went so fast we couldn’t say “goodbye”      STOP

The long, drawn-out ones where dementia and gradual failing health was involved.

It was a relief to know they had passed on to heaven

from this “veil of tears.”

 

I still remember one “good-bye”

We stood around her body and touched its coldness

She was gone.

She was rejoicing in heaven.

She was no longer captive in a demented body that couldn’t function.

She was truly alive!

It was difficult to feel sad for her…

If logic was the only part of the equation…

 

But it wasn’t.

She was gone.

Our lives were intertwined with hers

We were going to miss her.

Good-bye!  We love you!

We hugged each other

Shed tears and hugged each other.

Then walked out of the funeral home together.

We were her grown children and had said “good-bye.”

 

THIS IS NOT THE FINAL CHAPTER OF YOUR STORY…