The Cracked Acorn: Goodbye

Now that the air does seem cleaner and crisp. I might hear the train whistle at the Haymarket crossing early on weekday mornings. That lonesome sound reminds me of my youth when trains stopped in every town to pick up mail and passengers.

When I was maybe five 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 stopped 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 “goodbye.” You can wave at boarding and even while the train gathers speed to leave for the big city. (Even at 84 years, I still remember hiding my face in my mother’s skirt; that’s what mothers are there for!)

The Hawaiians’ “aloha” may be a better word for hello, goodbye, or farewell. Aloha says thank you for sharing your life, energy, and breath with us and for making us aware that we are all family. Good-by, 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.

Acts chapter 20 tells us of Paul’s goodbye to the elders at Ephesus, 36 Having so spoken, he bowed his knees and prayed with them all. 37 They all wept freely; they fell on Paul’s neck and fervently kissed him.38 They were grieved, especially over the remark they would not see his face anymore. Then, they accompanied him to the ship.

SACRED SELECTIONS#456 has some beautiful thoughts also about “good-by”: WITH FRIENDS ON EARTH WE MEET IN GLADNESS, WHILE SWIFT THE MOMENTS FLY, YEA, EVER COMES THE THO’T OF SADNESS, THAT WE MUST SAY GOOD-BY. NO PARTING WORDS SHALL E’ER BE SPOKEN IN YONDER HOME SO FAIR BUT SONGS OF JOY, AND PEACE AND GLADNESS, WE’LL SING FOREVER THERE, WE’LL NEVER SAY GOOD-BY IN HEV’N, WE’LL NEVER SAY GOOD-BY FOR IN THAT LAND OF JOY AND SONG, WE’LL NEVER SAY GOOD-BY.

And not to forget these lovely verses from Ruth  chapter 1:

14 At this they wept again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her. 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.