The Long Good Bye

from Elliott

There have been 'Good Bye's' before but none like this one. Most are single events; not prepared for in advance even though they are expected. And with technology and convenient travel, most 'good byes' are, at worst, temporary.

This one seems different though. Our departure will happen sometime in the near future but the actual time of departure is an unknown. Also, we don't necessarily see everyone involved on a regular basis and we are blessed to have relationships in places that won't visit before our departure. It seems as though we have already begun those 'good byes' as we enter 2010, knowing that we will be leaving sometime during this year. Every moment of every encounter is savored as we seek to live fully in the present.

With the distance and duration of our commitment to the people in South Africa these 'good byes' feel more profound than the 'temporary' good byes that we are used to. And frankly, with the knowledge that all of us are here on earth just temporarily, some of these 'good byes' feel more 'final' than others - that is, until we meet again on the other side!