Saying Goodbye...

....is a hard thing to do. It seems I am having to do it a lot lately. First, there are some teachers leaving our school. They are moving in different directions and won't have their smiling faces at school next year. I know we will still stay in contact through Facebook and they will make the occasional visit to school, but it won't be the same. I have made some good friends in my time and school and seeing them leave is sad. At the end of every year I worry about who won't be returning. Instead I should enjoy the time we do get to share.

Second, the pastor at our church in Greenbrier is retiring. He has been here for 9 years. He was a welcoming face and a super encourager. But, most importantly to me, he was the one that joined hubby and I in holy matrimony. We attended pre-marital counseling sessions with him and really forged a bond. It was comforting knowing that he was there and always wished the best for us. Again, I know we will still have contact with him and his wife. They are actually moving closer to us in Northwest Arkansas. However, it will be difficult to know that he won't be leading the church anymore. That church has meant so much to me. I was baptized there and married there, but now it will just be a little different.

I know that change is part of life and life will continue to go on despite the changes. It just seem that there is so much change going on around me, but I'm not really changing. I have never been good at change. It always seems to take me a while to accept it and adjust to it. I am working on being more flexible and to bend with the changes and not break in change. I know that with a little effort I can still maintain the relationships with the people I have had to say goodbye to. I want to view it as saying goodbye to the circumstances, but not to the people.