It's almost here, friends. I'm moving to Kingston in 2 days. This entire week has flown by too quickly, I've barely had time to prepare as much as I should have. I'm flabbergasted at how quickly Moving Day has crept up on me. This is most likely my last blog post before I move, as I'll be spending tomorrow running around the city, picking up last minute items before my move at 7:00 am this Saturday. So much to do, so little time.
And so inevitably, when one leaves town for an extended period of time, we go through a process that can, at times, be a little hard to handle. Moments that can leave you a tad teary-eyed. A process that tugs are your heartstrings. Goodbyes are a necessary part of life as we head from one phase of our lives to another. Yet the process of saying goodbye to close friends, family members, and those who have been a constant, dependable part of our lives can be incredibly emotional, particularly if we're aware that we may not be reuniting with some of these individuals for months, even years.
I've spent the week saying goodbye to a number of you. The dinners, the late-night coffee (tea?) runs, the Tim Hortons dates, the surprise visits. They've all occurred this week. I've spent the week saying goodbye to those I've come to love at church: the students, fellow friends. I've spent the week saying goodbye to relatives, and will be saying goodbye to my wonderful former boss who, in the past year, has taught me more than she will ever know. I've spent the week saying goodbye to close friends. The wonderful surprises of this past Sunday's goodbye/farewell party reduced me to tears, incredibly taken aback by all your thoughtful efforts.
In a couple of days, some of us will be leaving the city, others will be starting new jobs, continuing old jobs. The day has finally arrived where we all part ways. The time has come to finally move, to begin the new, exciting lives we've prepared so much for. And while these goodbyes are teary, and while the thought of moving to places so far away from home may be a tad intimidating, we should brighten at the fact that these new phases of our lives will lead us to brighter, greater things beyond what we can currently imagine. And while saying goodbye may be sad, the promise of opportunity isn't.
And while this week's goodbyes were comprised of frequent hugs, bursts of tears (usually mine), we can rest on the fact that we will see each other soon. While some of us jet over to England for the next year, spend the next eleven months in Vancouver, at a new job, at teacher's college, volunteering in Sri Lanka, getting ready for next summer's weddings, one thing will always remain the same: our special, lifelong friendships will not wane. Famously cliche as it may be, we part to one day meet again. I rest on the confidence that these goodbyes are merely a process. A temporary separation paving the way for a happy group reunion in the (near) future.
Friends, I will miss you all dearly. Kingston will inevitably be a wonderful experience. But none of it will ever compare to my amazing, lifelong friends and my home.
Next stop, Kingston!
“No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth.”
- Robert Southey
“We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.'”
- Ronald Reagan
due to the amount of stuff I'm taking with me. Too much. Far too much!
sadness :(
ReplyDeleteSkype Dinner this weekend? Inevitable.
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