“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Hellos and Goodbyes

Life is an endless circle of beginnings and ends, of hellos and goodbyes. From the day we are born until we die life is constantly changing. In order to enter adulthood we must say goodbye to childhood. When we graduate from high school or college we say goodbye to classmates and school days and say hello to the new life that is opening up to us. Sometimes, like Moses, we must remain behind while others move on. Sometimes we are the ones who move on. To say goodbye to a friend or loved one who is dying is, of course, the hardest thing to do. We often shy away from it, trying our best to hang onto something that has, in reality, come to an end. But we have the assurance that as this life ends for them a new life begins. Goodbye is not a sad or discouraging word. The word “goodbye” is actually a contraction of the old phrase, “God be with ye”. So if God is with ye and God is with me then we are bound together in that wonderful love which “passeth all understanding” and we are truly blessed.

lhart@gwi.net