Goodbyes

“Someone is always saying goodbye,” a wise man once said.  It is true.  Saying goodbye is part of being alive.  Young and old, we all wave our hands, hug our loved ones tight, wipe a tear away, force a smile.

Sooner or later, we all have to say goodbye.  It is just part of life.

Usually a rather unpleasant moment, a moment that involves separation, farewells are hard and some try to avoid them with all they've got.  But as fate has it, sooner or later, we all have to say goodbye.

Some are expected.  There are some, however, that take us completely by surprise, unguarded, unprepared.  They hit us like a blow.  They take all the air out of our lungs.

Yet some others are just left unsaid.  Never spoken, unexplained, unbearable, they leave us broken.  They fill the heart with regrets.  They leave us wondering.

Goodbyes that never come bring up an unanswered set of “whys.”

Inevitably they leave us questioning a series of “what ifs,” dreadful scenarios that would never be resolved.  They leave us pondering a list of painful “would’ve” “should’ve” “could’ve” enough to create hypothesis that would never be put to the test.

The goodbye that is left unsaid pierces the heart of the one left behind.  The un-uttered words cause deep agony in the soul of the other.  But sometimes, it is just plainly impossible to say goodbye.

It is not by choice that the words are never spoken.  It is the result of an often tragic moment that denies the chance for parting words.  The circumstance makes it inevitable for the one to depart without being able to say goodbye.  

Hope remains, however, because, regardless of how it happens or not, there is always the comforting thought of that eternal reunion where all the wrongs are righted and where all the tears are wiped away.  That’ll be the day of no more goodbyes and no more crying.  It will be the time for cheerful greetings.  It will be the time to forget about farewells.  That glorious day will arrive so we can all finally exhale, give our soul respite and learn to smile again.