First Goodbyes

I think of myself as the type who would prefer to dissolve into the background rather than suffer the desperation of a farewell that borders on a goodbye. Still, after having said a few of those goodbyes already and choking back tears, I've begun to understand that fading into the mist is a thing of Hollywood. Instead, the words that prevail are M. Scott Peck's, highlighted in his book on my shelf, reminding me that an act of love is always an act of work or courage or both - with no exceptions. Goodbyes take the courage to endure the pain of severing the invisible umbilical cord that ties one to another; the courage to look ahead, not behind. Besides, without the wrenching, the tearing, what evidence is there that one loves and is loved? And so, I will say goodbye now and many more times, and I will cherish the ache for the proof it provides.