Renaming Goodbye
Why is it called a “good” bye anyway? What about it makes it good ? I looked up the word “goodbye” and was reminded that it originally was the phrase “God be with you” which, over the years, has become shortened to goodbye. Interesting how the original intent was well wishes, a blessing, a prayer, a sending off with the best Person you could go with. And yet, it is still not a favorite word of mine. Especially when said to close friends. Especially when there’s been a stream of goodbye’s to close friends and family in the past year and a half. No matter what anyone says, they don’t get easier with practice. Sure, we may get better at preparing for them and doing them well (which is indeed very healthy), but they are still not easy and hardly enjoyable. Because it’s not merely a goodbye to a person. It’s a goodbye to doing life together. No matter how quick a click of a button is for connecting on social media, it really isn’...