A woman with a scarf over her head hoists her six year old up onto the first step of the school bus. “Good-bye,” she says.
A father on the phone with his freshman son has just finished bawling him out for this poor grades. There is mostly silence at the other end of the line. “Well, good-bye,” the father says.
When the girl at the airport hears the announcement that her plane is starting to board, she turns to the boy who is seeing her off, “I guess this is good-bye,” she says.
The noise of the traffic almost drowns out the sound of the word, but the shape of it lingers on the old man’s lips. He tries to look vigorous and resourceful as he holds out his hand to the other old man. “Good-bye.” This time they say it so nearly in unison that it makes them both smile.
It was a long while ago that the words God be with you disappeared into the word good-bye, but every now and again some trace of them still glimmers through.
~Frederick Buechner
I recall my father in law once saying to me, "life is a series of hellos and goodbyes." It was one of those philosophical or more meaningful moments and his words still echo in my mind from time to time. I think of Maya Angelou who had shared how she carried with her all of the people she had ever known and loved, those who were loving and kind. They gave her strength to get up and to speak her truth so courageously, powerfully and poetically.
I am reminded of the terrible wounding that was inflicted upon her and how she was able move through the hurt of that experience in a way that transformed her life; from darkness to Light. I personally know many people whose lives have been struck with a painful burden. At the time the situation seemed bleak and there was no light in sight. Yet, as they moved through the dark night of the soul, on the other end was a beautiful gifting they could never have imagined.
I am in awe of the resilience of the human spirit, of hope, and the insatiable desire to keep growing, learning and moving forward towards light. It is an innate, inexplicable quality in all of life.
I tend to hold on too tightly at times, to what I know, to what seems steady and consistent or as Joni Mitchell sings so lyrically, "as constant as the northern star." Yet, as I reflect back on the seasons of my life, I am keenly aware of how our lives are continually turning, changing, evolving in an ever-expanding field of Light. We only need open our hearts to receive this ever-present gift.
Question for reflection: What little glimmers shine through you, a moment etching itself into your heart and the hearts of others who inform your life?
Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel
Photo by taken by my dad, age 3
