The average person says goodbye 8-10 times a day.

It ends our text messages,
wraps up our phone conversations,
closes our letters
and chases a quick dap and bro hug
like a Bloody Mary and a beer back…

Just about every single time we utter that seven-letter word, there is an unspoken agreement
that there will be a corresponding hello somewhere down the line.

It might be in an hour, a day, a year or a chance encounter at a Pick ‘n Save deli counter decades removed – but we always assume it will be there.

They will be there.

Inevitably the day comes where the farewell we share is our last.

If we’re lucky, blessed, we know when that time is at hand
and are present in that grace-filled moment.

We soak in all the sounds and smells,
share all the love in our souls and
take pictures in our minds that we will
replay over-and-over in our hearts for
the rest of our days.

If we’re lucky, they will do the same and at the end,
their eyes will meet ours and give us the greatest,
most selfless, gracious gift one can ever give…
allowing us to be the last thing they ever see.

It’s impossible to convey the enormity of the gratitude for that gift.

There are no words right enough, no thank you gift big enough to ever close even close to that intention…
All we can do is to honor them, love them, remember them
and never take our goodbyes for granted.