“GOOD” BYES
They were all crying as they hugged him and kissed him goodbye. – Acts 20:37
I hate goodbyes. They make me cry because it means the end of
something. But goodbyes happen. There are people who have to leave,
things to let go of, and comfort zones to get out of.
But not all goodbyes turn out sad. In the movie You’ve Got Mail,
a branch of a bookstore chain opened in a neighborhood where a small
bookstore thrived for years. The mega bookstore killed the small
business. The owner had to say goodbye to her employees, who were close
friends, and to her loyal customers when she closed down the shop she
had inherited from her mother. But because of that, she got her happy
ending: she had time to write a book and got the guy who owns the
bookstore chain.
I experienced something similar when the gym I had been patronizing for
six years closed. I was upset and was forced to try the one right
outside our village. It turned out to have the same group exercises but
had friendlier terms, plus I saved on gas.
Paul had to leave to proclaim Jesus in other places. If he hadn’t said
goodbye, the Word of God would not have reached many Gentiles.
We need goodbyes so we can do something new — maybe even better and greater things. Lella M. Santiago (mirellasantiago@yahoo.com)
Reflection: Who or what are you holding on to that may be holding you back from being the best God wants you to be?
Lord, grant me the wisdom to know when it’s time to let go.
Sts. Charles Lwanga and Companions, martyrs, pray for us.
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