Why are goodbyes so hard?

So my eldest daughter is moving today to another state to start her new career.  We didn't have a big weepy goodbye but I already miss her and feel sad that she won't just be an hour away, but 24.  At least we can  FB, Skype, and play Draw Something on our phones.  For those things I am thankful.

This got me thinking about movie goodbyes.  The first one that came to mind is the ending of Father of the Bride 2 where the daughter has accepted a new job across the country.   He is happy for her, but heart broken.  The ending always baffled me - there were hugs, there were "miss yous" but not any tears.  Now I get it.  Those would be saved for later.

Why is saying goodbye so painful?  Living in Australia, I'm very far away from my entire family who all live in the States.  Every time I visit I know I have to have the airport goodbye scene.  It's in the back of my mind the moment I get off the plane in San Francisco and start the rounds of hellos and hugs.

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes.  I meet people every day that I'll never see again, and I'm not affected by leaving them because there wasn't a relationship built.  It was merely an exchange of service and time.  But the moment that my heart takes part in the process, there is risk of it being make sore by the very lives who enrich it.  When I say goodbye to my loved ones, I hurt because I miss the physical involvement, the interaction, the voices, the facial expressions - everything that makes relationships so meaningful.  and face it.  I know that their lives will go on and continue without my being there, and that hurts a little too.

But when I say goodbye I hope that I can leave a little of myself behind each time.  Words of encouragement, words of love.  Anything that might make a difference.  I see us all like individual tapestries made up of different coloured threads from people's lives that have influenced us.  We weave our threads into other people, every day.  I said earlier that in leaving some people, I'm not affected because there hasn't been a relationship built.  But there can still be threads exchanged.  Some might just fall to the ground without having been hooked, but I believe that even just one kind word or a smile can make a difference in the goodbye.  I hope that the threads I leave behind can offer even the slightest bit of colour to someone's life.  A large tapestry is made up of thousands of threads all woven together - each individual one being part of the final product, mine being included.

Today is Good Friday.  Jesus made the most of His earthly goodbye.  In His last week He saw all His good friends, had supper with them, washed their feet, prayed to the Father on their behalf, suffered and ultimately gave His life for them.  and for us and all mankind.  He was headed back home to heaven.  His horrible, painful, excruciating last goodbye was so that we could have an eternal hello with God.  And what makes all my goodbyes on this earth worth it is knowing that there will be a day I no longer have to say those words to my loved ones, and that we'll all be together forever.