goodbyes...

there are so many different uses of the word goodbye. you coudl be saying it to someone you know you'll see in an hour, a day, a week, a month. you could be saying it w/o knowing whether or not you'll see that person again. you could be saying it knowing for sure that you're never going to see that person again. you could be saying it w/ great relief. you could be saying it w/ immense sorrow. you could be saying it only to wait anxiously for the next time you'll be able to say hello. but at different times, "goodbye" takes on a whole new meaning. there are some goodbyes that you wish you didn't have to say. some goodbyes that you fear and pray you'll never have to say. those final goodbyes. the forever goodbyes that you know will last an eternity...b/c you'll never say goodbye to that person again. aside from saying goodbyes, these among many others, you also have to hear them. and one of the most painful goodbyes to hear is that of a loved one leaving to go serve his or her country. those goodbyes that are said w/ willingness yet hesitation. i pray daily for those serving our country. i pray for their families, their friends. i pray for their safety, i pray for their lives. for their health, for their lonliness. i pray for each one of them... and that they haven't yet had to say their final goodbyes.