Never Was Good at Goodbye

I have written about our “young couple” friends a couple of times on this blog site and the incredible opportunity we’ve had to build relationships with some amazing folks who have become like our own kids. We have been afforded this opportunity because our church went to the “home group” concept a couple of years ago. We meet together on Sunday nights in homes. Actually Kathy and I have been meeting with a second group of young couples the last several months. Today we had lunch with most of the folks who were in the first group.

We have eaten together, studied together, prayed together, and discussed all kinds of different subjects along the way. We also have laughed way too much along the way. The Bible calls it fellowship. I get around enough to know that most people are lacking this kind of fellowship and togetherness. I have a strong feeling that God intended for us to “do life” with other folks. I can tell you our lives are much richer for having the opportunity to hang around these special young couples.


The occasion today was not a happy one for most of the folks in this group. David and Jamie, pictured here, are moving about 1000 miles away at the end of this month. They are excited because they are going back home to Oklahoma City. Their friends they are leaving behind are not as excited because they know they won’t see their close friends much anymore. Life has a way of doing that to you. You spend time with folks and build close relationships and then all of a sudden that chapter closes in your life. You have a hole in your heart and you hurt for a while but time fills the gap and heals the hurt and life moves on.


But you definitely take a risk when you choose to get close to folks. The day may come when you have to say goodbye. And that’s not a fun thing to do. This group hasn’t said their goodbye’s yet because they have another week and have already planned a goodbye shindig for next weekend. But they started getting prepared for it today.

By the way, I keep saying “they” because I’m not saying goodbye. It just so happens that I’m in Oklahoma City on a fairly regular basis so you can bet your bottom dollar I will hunt them down. And the fellowship will continue. There are some real advantages to having a traveling job. One important one is not having to say goodbye nearly as often as other folks.

I never was good at goodbye anyway.