Patty Mayeux Blog

Our daughter and her family are visiting from their home overseas and soon my sister will join in the happy reunion. The inevitability of goodbye pulls my human tendency toward sadness. Two things keep me from turning into a blubbering bag of tears when that time comes: knowing I will see them again and focusing on the joy of the moment, in the moment, every moment. There was a time when both our daughters and their families lived overseas, creating the emptiest of nests. Rather than pine away the days, we adjusted to this new reality. I learned then to focus on that future day when we would be returned to one another. Ironically, in the midst of crazy, frenetic, joyful, laughter-filled family times, I sometimes long for my now stable reality of a quieter space. Still, I treasure every moment, living it to the fullest extent by focusing on the NOW, knowing a time will come for goodbyes. They’ll return to where they live, until we happily gather together again. Goodbyes remind me there are people that deeply matter to me and to whom I matter, filling my live with love and joy, and that’s a good thing.