Saying Goodbye

Friends during this past week I have had the pleasure of spending Christmas with my mother and other family members. But I was really touched when my mother and her sister said goodbye to each other. My Aunt began to cry as she was leaving and gave my mother one last hug. Then after she left my mother said that they were getting old and that this could be the last time the saw each other. I could tell my Mom was putting on a brave front but I had to wonder. Do they really think this is it? I often wonder if the disciples thought the same thing when Jesus had foretold his death. Surly if they did they wouldn’t have fallen asleep while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. How do we say goodbye to a loved one. Or better yet how do we say goodbye to a loved one on a regular basis that would say everything we feel about them. I am not sure where I am going with this one but I would love to be able to feel good about the way I last said goodbye to someone.

So many times I hear of people saying “I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye, or to say I loved them”. I guess the point I am trying to make is that maybe every time we say goodbye to a loved one we should say it in a way that lets them know we really care and love them. I know I need to work on this one. When I left my Mom at a gas station in Virginia, I wondered if she knew how much I loved her and how much I was going to miss her or did I give the impression that I was in a hurry to get out of the cold and rain and get on my way. I think she knows how I feel but I often second guess myself and always think I should have said more or gave her another hug. What do you guys think? Like I said, I was just thinking about this while driving back from visiting my family for Christmas. I hope you and your family have a great New Year..Grace be with you…Chris