SAYING GOODBYE

Goodbye is one of the most hated words in any language. It brings tears to the eyes. Celine Dion got it right in her song ‘Goodbye’. We hate it but it is a natural phase in life. We say hello, so we must use its opposite and brother, goodbye.
It might be that a loved one passed. It might be that the one we love left us for another. It might be circumstances that
forced us to say it. We say goodbye to old friends and to our most cherished belongings. E.g. A robber comes and steals it from you. We say it to a loved pet. Nothing about that word, that makes one smile. Okay, there is; when we say it to an enemy. However, how many of us have that pleasure?
There is nothing as bad as saying goodbye to a loved one at a graveside and knowing that you would never see them again. Especially when it was not expected e.g. if there was no sickness. You have built your life around it, nurtured it and poured your hopes and dreams into the relationship. It just ends and you feel your heart stop. You feel your world crumbling and you just cannot go on. You cry for days. I hate to imagine what losing a child feels like, especially for the mother. Well, seasons come and go.
My heart goes out to all those who lost father, mother, sibling, child, spouse in the recent bombings and aircrashes especially the Dana 153 passengers in Nigeria. Goodbyes’ are terrible when they creep up on you so soon. It cowers us and makes us realise that life is not always rosy nor does it go as planned. We cannot help but believe that there is a higher being who knows the reason for the sudden goodbye.
If in a relationship and you say goodbye, do not close up. In life, when we say goodbye, we also say hello. The smile that accompanies a hello is fulfilling. When we lose them to death, nature gives back to us through childbirth and new love. We learn to take the goodbye with the hello. We c should remember the good times and cherish the memories. We can only reach out and be hopeful. If you just experienced a goodbye, I am sorry for your pain and loss. Therefore, I say hello to you. Remember to return the hello. The goodbye went into the universe when you said it and shall be returned with a hello when you least expect it. HELLO! From me to you.

‘As we raise our hands to utter goodbye in tears,
We shall raise our hands to utter hello with a smile,
The moodiness shall be lifted by happiness
As we dance the macabre boomerang dance of Mother nature.’
-Frances