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Saturday, December 18, 2010

The never ending goodbye

I easily could say that I never had the perspective before my mission of what good-bye meant! Leaving a host of family and friends behind in Colorado I thought was a big deal and hard enough. Little did i realize that other members of the church, investigators, recent converts, fellow missionaries, and various others would mean so much to me through my journey as a missionary! Let it be known that this is why the mission is the most bitter sweet experience of my life! I call it the DREAM :) !! Last night our mission just sent home a group of faithful returned missionaries and it was another time to "tear off" a band-aid. As I contemplated on this reoccuring pattern of "saying good-bye" this poem came to mind


I’ve said good-bye a thousand times.
Each mother does,
Then, patient, praying, waits at home.
I said good-bye
When toddler’s feet first moved
Beyond safe whitewashed kitchen door,
When youthful hands
Found Joseph’s dark oak bench and tools
To practice craft of carpenter,
When joyful boy discovered
God’s will writ bold in temple text
And heard bright angels’ promises.
I said good-bye
When John baptized him in the stream
And a lone white dove descended
As emblem of his Father’s love,
When faith turned water into wine
And every miracle in turn
Confirmed that he was God’s
Not mine.
I said good-bye
When neighbor’s stone turned sharp,
Ears closed against his tongue,
And mocking people drove him
From green Galilee.
And finally
Standing in the empty crowd
I saw stupidity not men
Pound spikes into his gentle hands
And cursing lift him up
To goad and mock out loud
Until I said good-bye a thousand times
And fresh salt tears poured down
To mark the ground that we were left upon.
Good-bye my son.
I will be lonely
But not alone.
Good-bye my son.
We’ll wait for you
At home.

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