Goodbyes

In an international school, goodbyes come around more frequently than most people would like. Today marked the end of the semester and, with it, a time for some students to say goodbye to classmates they had just gotten to know. I said goodbye to one of my 11th grade students today, and while we were chatting I was reminded of many truths about what I believe as well as silly things, such as “who asked you to banquet”, that seem so important to an 11th grader.

Perhaps a lesson that we could learn from “goodbyes” is that we should share with people more often our thoughts about them: how they’ve grown, what we see as their strengths, what they bring to a community, what they’ve taught us.

As I was talking to this student about her thoughts on leaving new friends she had grown to treasure, I was reminded of one of my favorite things in life: memories. No one, except old age, can steal them, tarnish them, or change them. They are yours forever, to keep, to come back to, and to love. Memories can sustain us in low times, can keep us company, and provoke a smile like nothing else. May you, like Mary, treasure up wondrous moments and ponder them in your heart.