Saying good-bye is never easy. The very thought of uttering the words makes my eyes well with tears and my lip quiver. In fact, my husband was teasing me the other day. We were having a conversation about our older son, Max, going away to college. I couldn't even talk about it, and he's only seven!
It's not that I haven't said it before. I have—more times than I care to count. But it will never be my favorite phrase. I like euphemisms better. “See you later” and “so long” take the away the sting.
Unfortunately, we often have to say good-bye at the houses. Sometimes it's because a family returns home to their real lives. Last week week was one of those moments. This family had been with us since April. We had gotten to know Mom, Dad, their three boys, and even though we never saw her, their beautiful, premature baby girl. Mom and I hugged. I had to say good-bye. The tears came and my lip trembled. And even though there was sadness mixed with their departure, it was reassuringly exciting.
Just a couple hours later, I was forced to say good-bye again. This time, however, there was much less anticipation. A mom stayed with us for two weeks on bedrest before delivering her daughter at 30 weeks. After seven short hours, the baby's heart grew weak and stopped beating. When I hugged Grandma later that night, I had tears again. But this time, it was more than just a sting. It was an ache. There was no excitement, just a deep, empty void.
As things settled down, I sat at my desk staring into the starry sky thinking about both families and my own family. I thought about my boys tucked snuggly in their beds. My thoughts were interrupted when I watched another mom leave the house to start her late-night trek back to the hospital. As she walked through the door, I smiled and used my favorite euphemism, “See you later.” She returned the smile and said, “Yeah. I'll be back." At that moment, her words were very comforting.
Jamie Martinson
House Manager
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