Saying Goodbye

You know how people often bring up the idea that you should always say goodbye in such a way that if something happened to either party and someone passed away, the person left behind would feel good about how they parted ways? Well, I have a daily reminder of this principle. There is much ado every time someone leaves this house. Multiple goodbyes, hugs, kisses, waves galore. . .

J just left for work. He received hugs and kisses from all who were awake. There are days when the kids insist on giving him two sets of hugs and kisses. Those unfortunate beings who are not awake when daddy leaves for work tend to be a bit upset upon waking and realizing that they missed saying goodbye. Amongst the hugs and kisses there is a constant stream of "goodbyes" that follow J all the way to the car. . . and continue with a flourish of waving hands until his car is out of sight.

And it isn't just daddy who gets these great goodbyes. Teeny and G make it a point to say goodbye to eachother every time one or the other of them goes somewhere. They will bound through the house saying, "I've got to say goodbye to. . ." before they can settle down to playing again.

And, if you leave without a goodbye. . . I ran to the convenience store for hot dogs yesterday; and, as it was going to take me a mere five minutes, I didn't bother saying goodbye. As I backed out of the drive way Teeny and G came running out with very confused faces and unsure hand-waves. It was sort of comical. Especially since G had something stuffed in his shirt and was pretending to be pregnant. But that has nothing to do with goodbyes. . .

At any rate, you can always count on children to keep you straight. I often take for granted that I'll see people again, and I rarely give anyone the goodbye that I would if I knew I'd never see them again. My children, on the other hand, will never have to regret a half-hearted goodbye.