The Cracked Acorn: Good-bye

It is one word in the English language that I have never come to grips with, “Good-Bye!” Before I can say it, there’s the moistening of the eyes and a slight tightening of the throat, the cords hunt for the sounds that mean separation for a time or longer.  A look out the window helps to pull one’s self together to say that word not often said, “Good-Bye!”

Now that we have all had a touch of frost, the air does seem cleaner and crisp. Early on weekday mornings, I might hear the train whistle at the Haymarket crossing. It’s that lonesome sound that reminds me of my youth when trains stopped in every town to pick up mail and passengers.

When I was maybe 5 years old, I was with my mother when she took my aunt to nearby Auburn, Kentucky to catch the L&N (Louisville and Nashville) to Louisville. We waited in the station room until we heard the whistle and the clanging bell, smoke, and steam as the train pulled to a stop at the station’s back door. We are all familiar with airports, but I don’t think many are with train stations. At the airport, it is a quick hug and then off but with trains, it seems you have an eternity to say “good-bye”. You can wave at boarding and even while the train gathers speed to leave for the big city.

The Hawaiians’ “aloha” may be a better word which means hello and good-by or farewell. Aloha says thank you for sharing your life, energy, and breath with us, and thank you for making us aware that we are all family. Good-bye, so I found in the dictionary, is an alteration of God be with you, suggesting an unknown break of time till we see each other again, and during that period we will need God’s protection and assurance that all will work out for those leaving and for those who remain.

“I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way we must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.” When Paul finished, he knelt down with them all and prayed. They were all crying as they hugged Paul and kissed him goodbye. They were especially sad at the words he had said that they would never see him again. And so they went with him to the ship. We said goodbye to them and left. (ACTS 20: 35-21:1) TODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION