Good-bye is by far the hardest thing to say in any language, and this is where I appreciate German and Italian the most. In Tagalog the word for good-bye carries the same finality as in English, paalam. Spanish and Portuguese refer it to God, with Adios, and Adeus, stemming from the old blessing upon departure, may God be with you. The German (auf wiedersehen) and Italian (arrivederci) give you a sense of hope, a promise of a reunion – until we meet again.
I have lost count of the number of times I have had to say good-bye to people, places, friends, loved ones, but also those who did me wrong, broke my soul and shattered my strength. It was good to close the chapter with those two powerful little words: good-bye, to which it was a thrill to add good riddance. In some cases I probably should have said go away much sooner, but that is something abuse victims only learn to say much later, if at all.
No, don’t worry, I am not going anywhere. I know, it is a bit of a morose topic for a Monday morning, but the Lisboan sun is playing hide and seek today, so the clouds are hogging the creativity bench. But the reason I bring this up is that I stumbled on a line a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to use in a book, but it took me a while to sort out my thoughts.
This move to Portugal has shaken many things at the core of my being, and for the better. It has jump-started thoughts and emotions long forgotten, revived life lessons and philosophies that I used to cling to and somehow long along the way. I may not have a permanent dwelling yet, and not quite settled in at work, but none of these things happen overnight. The best things in life are take time to unfold and reveal themselves, and nothing good comes from rushing it.
So I decided that after moving 18 times in my life, and I am sure this is still not the last time, I will stop saying good-bye. If you remember my older blog of some people being in our lives for a reason, season, or a lifetime, (see link below) I keep that concept even closer to my heart now.
I won’t say good-bye because finished chapters need no farewell, but closure.
I won’t say good-bye to people who were only meant to stay in my life for a season. Life goes on, and certain paths were never meant to cross twice.
I won’t say good-bye to loved ones who have passed away. They continue to live within me, and there was never any good-bye needed.
I won’t say good-bye, but good memories.
I won’t say good-bye, but thank you for the lessons.
Related Entries
FrogDiva Thoughts 
So glad you wrote about this today. We are experiencing a death in the family and I love this idea of “not good bye, but good memories” and will share it with our children. Thanks for that.
My condolences to you and your family. Before she passed away my mother always said to celebrate her life our shared moments and not dwell on the parting of ways.