Dear Kid,

Saying goodbye is not always my favorite thing.

There are times when I look forward to saying goodbye. Saying “Goodbye” to a sports opponent can be lots of fun (with or without the na-na-nah-nahh, hey hey). Saying goodbye to a cold is always good. (BTW, you really should get a flu shot.) Saying goodbye to one of Dad’s ripped-to-shreds t-shirts is a rare joy.

And saying “Good Buy!” when finding a great pair of shoes is one of my all-time faves.

But saying “goodbye” to a friend you don’t get to see frequently enough is not joyful.

There is no doubt that it beats the alternative (not getting together at all) by many light years. But it’s still hard and sad.

Tim and Nancy left this morning. It took a while to convince Booker that the suitcases did not belong to us, that I wasn’t going anywhere, and that was safe to return to eviscerating his toy bear. It took longer to convince me that the world would continue on its appointed rounds.

The world is much smaller than it once was. We have cars, and airplanes, and telephones, and Skype, and blogs, and all sorts of wonderful things to keep us in touch. But it’s not the same as getting together in the kitchen to make cookies (yes, I put some in the freezer for when you’re home).

Saying goodbye can mean a lot more than “see ya, dude.” We can pack a whole lot into one little “goodbye.” It’s easier than trying to say all the things we mean.

Send a text to someone you haven’t seen a while and make their day.

Love, Mom