"It's difficult to say goodbye after all those times..." (Goodbye-Plankeye)
Those words contain much truth. It is difficult to say goodbye when it is certain and absolute closure. Whether it is towards family, close friends, or lovers, those two syllables, in that situation, do not seem to leave the tongue easily. The weight they carry is immense. There is simply no way to lessen the blow that they can deliver. The word by its very definition seems to signify absolute closure.
It can be kind of depressing to think about. Think of those times in high school, those incredible friendships that you made, the unforgettable memories that were created, all of that culminating into graduation. And guess what? Goodbye was right there. It is the end of that era in your life. It loomed closer and closer, and there it was. And then there was college, and the times that rolled there. And then there was goodbye again, waiting at graduation, the elephant in the room that people tried their best to ignore.
The context that the word goodbye seems to have is one of closure, as stated before. However, it is necessary for the start of the new. Those things that are in the past are no longer a part of us. They were part of the journey, important parts for sure, and parts that we should not forget, but they were in the past. Yes, I agree, a part of goodbye is that closure, but it also brings with it the start of a new part of the journey of life.
Think of Moses and when the Israelites were finally set free from their captivity in Egypt. It was not all happy for them, as every single person was leaving behind everything they ever knew and throwing in their lot with a God that they didn't really know. The goodbye said to their homes in Egypt were final, as Moses made it clear that they were not to return. For 40 years they wandered in the wilderness, 40 years of walking through the sands of the desert. However, where they did end up was where the Father chose them to be. And that is a far better place than what they had in Egypt.
Saying goodbye is partly closure. It is leaving behind things that we used to know without any intention of returning to them. However, when goodbye does come, it is also our commencement into the wilderness, a time when we need to move on and find our promised land. Without goodbye, there would be no growth.
