Between Hello and Goodbye

The two hardest things to say in life are hello for the first time and goodbye for the last. No one knows the exact moment when a friendship is formed, but it is that silent, forgotten moment that causes the pain when we must say goodbye. All we have is what exists between hello and goodbye. The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our hearts and souls are connected.

Oftentimes, we say goodbye to the person we love without wanting to. But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped loving them. Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted. Goodbye may seem forever, but the memory is in my heart—and there you will always be.

There is a last time for everything… the last time you wear a tux to prom, the last time you ‘park’ with your girl in an orange grove, the last time you kiss goodbye on her porch and drive away, the last time you feed your baby, the last time you hold your sleeping child. There’s even a last time your child will run to you with arms raised, shouting your name with joy.

Imagine feeling like every hug and kiss goodbye to your loved ones might be your last. You never really know when it’s the final time you’ll embrace someone or tell them goodbye. Time passes—that’s the rule. No matter what happens, no matter how much it might feel like life has frozen around one moment, time keeps moving. And the thing is, you won’t even know it was the last time until there are no more times. Even then, it might take you a while to realize it.

The most painful goodbyes are often the ones that are never said. So while you’re living in these moments, remember that they are limited. When they’re gone, you may find yourself longing for just one more ordinary day. Any minute could truly be your goodbye. But right now, you still have this moment—this time. This present.

It takes far more energy to hate than it does to let love flow freely in your life. After all, that’s what you were born to do.