There comes a time when we must say goodbye. Goodbye to friends, family, those we love, and those who love us. Goodbye to those who made us laugh, those who made us cry, and those who wiped away our tears. Sometimes we say goodbye and we don't even really know why. It is almost as if goodbyes linger on our lips, waiting to be said when we least expect it. Goodbyes are rarely final. Some people exit and enter our lives many times, while others never return. Goodbyes should be the end, but they are not. The feelings you have do not escape your heart as easily as the word left your mouth. The love, the hurt, and the memories linger on long after the goodbye has been said. Saying goodbye not only means the loss of someone. As they leave, they take with them any dreams, hopes, any future you would have had with them. You aren't only saying goodbye to the person, but also to a way of life. Along with them, you lose a piece of yourself. A part of you that only existed when with that person.
Ironic isn't it that they are called "good"byes. What good is to be found in losing someone. Would we ever dare call the pain we often feel, and the tears we often cry, good? Do we feel good when we are left with a hallow emptiness in our heart where this person once dwelled? What is so good about people touching our lives only to leave?? Maybe nothing, but at least they did just that. They touched our lives, and though they may have made their exit, they have left a part of themselves with us. And we have given a part of ourselves to them. Memories of laughter and smiles, regrets of what could or should of been done differently, and a newfound knowledge of maybe how to handle things with others yet to come. Unfortunately, goodbyes, as painful as they may be, are a necessary part of life. People enter and leave our lives like the changing of the tides. I suppose we should feel content in knowing, that for a time, even if only a moment, we knew that person, and they knew us. And no matter how many goodbyes have been said, we will always carry these people with us in our hearts.
