Saying Goodbye

For the second time in the span of a month I’ve had to say goodbye to a good friend of mine. At least this time I know she’s coming back, albeit in September. Jo does freelance interpreting at the IAEA, but is without work until the fall. Though she is fluent in four languages, we often have trouble reconciling the differences between American and British English. For instance, last night I spent a considerable amount of time trying to explain the difference between an American biscuit (pictured) and a British one, and apparently “pudding” means “dessert” in British. Who knew?

Olivia, who left a month ago, has no set plans to return, and is now stateside unless she is still traipsing around Scotland. I suppose I could begin to use this large black bag she left in my room as leverage. Hmmm… What if I decide to keep one item from her bag for every week she’s gone?

At any rate all this leaving makes me sad. And it makes me think about the end of the school year when I’m going to have to say goodbye to more friends. I grew up as a Navy brat so all these goodbyes aren’t really a new concept, but they never get easier. Not for me anyway. Maybe that’s because I never had a lot of friends growing up. Heck, even over here I barely had a social life my first two years. I remember my first year when my roommate was gone over breaks, I would sometimes go two or three days without talking to anyone. When I finally ventured out of my apartment, I found I stumbled over my words as though I had forgotten how to speak. And I had, I guess.

So I tend not to take my friends for granted. I like my friends to know they are appreciated, and sometimes I probably place too much focus on maintaining my friendships. So when they go, it saddens me all the more. Though, at the same time, it makes me thankful for the friendships that God has blessed me with and motivates me to pray for those friends that I am now separated from.